


Here Lies Our Youth

by ivelkundeath



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22666627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelkundeath/pseuds/ivelkundeath
Summary: Growing up isn't much of an elective. It just happens to us and often we find ouselves in the throes of growing up before we even know it. All the laughs we don't know will end. Being made aware of our health. Cultivating relationships that will unknowingly last a lifetime. Losing loved ones. Coming to bare our souls. A RWBY High School AU. Rated M for mature themes.
Relationships: Raven Branwen/Summer Rose, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 10
Kudos: 61





	1. White Light, Really Inside

First, white light. Or seemingly. And the sensation of someone running their fingers through her hair. Ruby's eyelids began to slowly peel back into consciousness, bringing the white-walled room and the woman gently combing her fingers through her hair, her mother, more and more into focus with each lethargic blink.

"Welcome back," Summer Rose said, a content smile on her face as she continued to run her fingers from the darker brown roots down as it gradated to a deep red and through the tips of Ruby's hair, one of the peculiar genetic traits they both shared. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," Ruby stated groggily as she pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and attempted to rub this otherworldy exhaustion from her being. A familiar pain, sort of burning ache started to slowly return the more Ruby woke up. She unconsciously moved her hand to her stomach in an attempt to stall her body's continued betrayal, always the futile endeavor.

"The anesthesia will wear off gradually," Summer said, her smile falling a bit when Ruby's hand came to a rest on her stomach. "Pain still?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She ran her fingertips through her child's hair and then pulled her hand to rest in her lap as the younger girl sat up.

"Yeah," Ruby sighed with a slight wince. Noticing her mother's frown, she continued in an attempt to assuage the concern growing in her mother's silver eyes, the other peculiar genetic trait they shared. "It's not really a pain, just this ache that adds an element of discomfort to most things."

"And one that you've had for a while." Summer added raising an eyebrow, causing Ruby to chuckle nervously.

"Yeah. It had been mostly fine, off and on, but it's been a little more persistent, so I can't really blame it on too many cookies anymore, y'know?"

"We might still be able to blame it on too many cookies, but further _experiments_ will need to be done before we can know for sure," a voice came. A woman wearing a lab coat entered the room, long black mane flowing behind her as she took strides from the door to the bed. "If anything, there might be too much _blood_ in your cookie stream."

"What's the verdict Raven?" Ruby wondered as she laughed at that last remark. She was more awake now, but her reality was still wading through water.

"Well," Raven smirked, watching Summer out of the corner of her eye, "I'm afraid you only have seventy years to live." She was the only one to catch Summer start ever so slightly before putting her head to her hand.

"Raven, must you?" Summer sighed as she brought her hand down her face as if trying to wipe something from her being, Ruby just chuckling away in the background.

"Was it a bad time to practice my dramatic tension?" Raven asked innocently.

"I can think of worse times," Summer replied simply locking her silver eyes onto Raven's crimson. "I'll demonstrate later. The best way to teach a lesson is to use _many_ examples," Summer dead-panned.

"I like those sorts of examples," Raven winked back.

"Okay, guys," Ruby interjected, "this conversation has gone past the safe point. Any further and I'll start losing my innocence."

"Gotcha kiddo," Raven laughed. Bringing her attention to the contents of the folder she was holding, she continued. "The results of your endoscopy showed a mild case of gastritis. There is inflammation in the upper part of your stomach," she simplified. "Dietary conflicts are most likely the culprit given what you're presenting. You haven't made any changes to your diet ultimately, so you could be developing a sensitivity to something, or too much of something," she finished with a wink.

"So very maybe too many sweets," Ruby concluded herself, wilting a bit.

"Perhaps," Raven shrugged. "You're still growing and your body is changing. This could be a result of that."

"What's next?" Summer questioned.

"Monitoring her diet," Raven answered. "Keep a note of anything you eat Ruby that causes your stomach to bother you. Not just what you eat, but also how it is cooked. It could be something as simple as too much fried food, but you need to pinpoint it first. Until the mystery is solved, I'm prescribing something for whenever you do feel discomfort. Nothing too hard, so you are good to take it and operate heavy machinery."

"Sounds good, Doc. Ultimately a good, yet vague bill of health," Ruby said, her intonation rising at the end.

"Basically good," Raven laughed. "Feel free to get changed while I take this one to sign some papers," she finished as she pointed her thumb to Summer and made for the door.

"We'll be at the desk whenever you've finished changing," Summer said before following behind Raven. Falling in step with the ebony haired woman she laced their fingers, Raven squeezing her hand in turn. "If we don't pinpoint the trigger in her diet, how long before we revisit it?"

Raven contemplated that as they reached the front desk and pulled forward some papers for Summer to sign. "She said her stomach has gotten progressively more bothersome over the last two or so months. I'd say another month or so. Sooner if it starts bothering her more or if she develops new symptoms." 'Okay' came Summer's brief reply. Raven looked at the woman whose hand she held with a mixture of amusement and adoration. She could almost hear the gears turning in her head and suddenly felt a little apologetic for earlier. "I'm sorry I teased you earlier," she offered. "I get off at a reasonable hour tonight and look forward to eating dinner with you and the girls. Any specialty items on the menu?"

Summer placed the pen down, signatures and initials where they were needed, before turning to face the woman she was very much in love with, but who could also be very peeving. "Tonight we're having dramatic tension," Summer beamed, causing Raven to laugh and roll her eyes. "And since Yang will be going to the football game tonight, there will be plenty enough for you," she finished with a kiss to the slightly taller woman's cheek.

"Again with the dramatic tension guys?" Ruby exasperated walking over to her mothers. "My innocence. My youth!"

"Yes, purest child of mine!" Summer laughed turning to Ruby. "The pharmacy is a definite stop, but I need to know, school or home?"

"Home for two hundred and two and half day weekend for four. Also, I'm kinda really hungry too. That whole 'no eating for before your doctor's appointment' stuff."

"And we're off," Summer said, planting a last kiss on Raven's cheek before hugging Ruby's shoulder and walking with her towards the hospital exit.

"See you two at home," Raven waved after them.

…...

' _I think I'm going to stay home and take it easy tonight :('_

Weiss replied to the text with a short _'Fine'_ before storming over to the rifle that rested against the drum major podium and picking it up. Walking to the thirty five yard line, she marked off her dot four steps toward the fifty and began her seg. "Count me off Blake," she instructed, positioning her prep before the four counts came from the gock block. She bent her knees and pushed off on the and of four.

' _Six count jazz run to just inside the forty five. Toss on five.'_

She launched her rifle above her on the appropriate count and continued on.

' _Close on seven.'_

She planted her right foot on six and brought her left into position beside it, and

' _Catch!'_

on eight. She squeezed her muscles in anticipation of the rifle's descent and caught it in front of her before rising on her toes. Taking two steps back into her next set, she stopped on the second count and held for an additional beat before relaxing.

"Nice!" Blake could be heard exclaiming from the top of the podium. Weiss was in agreement, more than satisfied with how her practice had gone, especially the last few segs. Brushing her fair bangs, sticky with sweat, out of her eyes, she made her way back towards her friends on the sideline.

"That was a little intense Weiss. What inspired such a passionate performance?" Yang picked from the grass.

"Your sister bailed on me."

"You know she had her doctor's appointment today. I'd definitely take the opportunity to not return to the compulsory education grounds if given the choice."

"I know," Weiss sighed. " I know. I'm not mad. Just disappointed I guess." Yang shrugged at Weiss' reply and went back to picking at the small flowers surrounding her. Blake had alighted from the podium at some point and was now spinning Weiss' sabre just off to the side, her long, jet black hair dancing behind her as she did. Weiss was about to say something to her before her attention was caught by the notification light on her Scroll. Picking it up she saw a new text from Ruby.

' _Come over tomorrow and keep me company!'_

Weiss smiled, mentally marking her Saturday as loosely and nicely planned for. Blake catching a toss out of the corner of her eye brought her attention back to something more important against curiosity's standards. "Blake, why don't you march again?" Blake looked over surprised, as if she had been observed in the practice room.

"I've thought about it, but I don't really want to perform. I'd be a wreck," she confessed. "I thought it would be fun to try, so I did. I'm just kind of good at it for some reason. Flag is kind of like Bo staff, and the others are similar.." she trailed off smiling, her face a little flushed from embarrassment.

Weiss sighed. "Well spin with me sometime. I want to try my hand at choreography."

"Okay, bet," Blake said genuinely interested.

"You guys want to go to the Caf? I could definitely stand to eat something before the game so I don't spend a small fortune on concessions." Yang threw at the two as they made their way back toward the drum major podium.

"Sure," Weiss accepted offhandedly. She was revisiting her earlier text from Ruby she hadn't replied to yet.

"Seems you ultimately got what you wanted."

Weiss jumped, nearly dropping her phone. " _Why_ are you reading over my shoulder?" she snapped turning to face a grinning Yang.

"What?" Yang questioned. "I'm in your corner. What are you guys anyway?"

"You don't have to answer that," Blake inserted into the conversation.

"What?" Yang questioned again looking to Blake and then to Weiss, a slight blush dusting the latter's cheeks. "We are like, the best of friends, consider it girl talk. I said I'm in your corner," Yang finished smiling as she puled Weiss into a brief and playful side hug.

"We haven't put a label on it," Weiss started as she gathered her bag and headed towards the school with the others. "I _refuse_ to put a label on it. Ruby and I haven't talked about it really and I kind of like it better this way. I've dealt with individuals who rushed the 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' title and then ran it ragged. It's _taxing._ Possessive, controlling, or codependent. I'm taking the opportunity to explore a more natural approach."

"I see," Yang pondered. "I imagine it doesn't help, your last name being Schnee."

"Not really. The least interesting and most frustrating have been the 'pedigree over love' sort."

"Yikes."

They arrived at the cafeteria, securing a table beside a large window, Weiss waved Blake and Yang off as she pulled out her phone. "You guys go ahead and order, I'm going to text Ruby back first."

"Gotcha," Yang replied before heading off to find a vacant terminal to order.

"Want me to order you one of those cranberry salads so you don't have to wait?" Blake offered.

"Yes. I'd love you for that." Weiss fished her student ID from her bag. "Add grilled chicken please?" she requested, tossing Blake her ID.

"Can do," Blake said catching it with both hands.

"Thank you." Weiss turned back to her phone after Blake sauntered off towards the order terminals. She typed out a reply to Ruby. Hopefully she hadn't fallen asleep during all that time. Weiss hadn't really talked to her today, and they talked everyday.

' _Sorry for the late reply, decided to spin some before the game tonight. And I accept your invitation. Just text me tomorrow when you wake up. I'm sure I'll wake up well before you do. How was your doctor's appointment by the way?'_

Weiss knew Ruby had been having trouble with her stomach for a while. Nothing that seemed serious, but in her it sparked a little concern for her longtime friend. Her phone vibrated, Ruby's reply coming sooner than expected. Weiss was almost certain Ruby might've fallen asleep in the brief period between texts. Stranger things have happened.

' _Aw, I forgot tonight was the first home game :/ And come wake me up! I could sleep until 3 in the afternoon if you let me. My doctor's appointment was good. I have gastritus? Something something stomach inflammation caused by something diet 'cos puberty. Got a prescription, should be fine.'_

Weiss rolled her eyes as she read Ruby's text, though a smile had grown on her face as well.

' _Yes tonight is the first home game, one I asked you to several times this week, but I understand. Stay home and rest. I'll see you tomorrow with all of the classwork you missed today.'_

As soon as she sent the text, Blake and Yang returned to the table, food trays in hand.

"Thanks again Blake," Weiss said to Blake as she took a tray from the girl.

"Don't mention it," Blake replied, amber eyes soft, ever sincere. Weiss considered her one of the best friends a person could have and was grateful that she could call Blake hers.

"But," Yang inserted when Weiss' phone buzzed the table, "back to the matter at hand. Girl talk! Have you guys had your second kiss yet?"

"Second kiss?" Blake wondered, Weiss looking confused as well.

"Yeah. I remember you guys' first kiss. You were like five and Ruby was three or four. You were playing house, said something about getting married."

"Yang, that was over a decade ago. It doesn't count." Weiss concluded rolling her eyes, trying to covertly avoid the question as she opened Ruby's text.

' _Orrrrr you could just come cuddle me while I sleep :3 Leave the homework at home where it belongs."_ Weiss smiled at that.

' _I will. At your home. Get some rest, dork. I have to go. Text you later.'_

"It didn't then, but it does now," Yang smirked.

Weiss scowled at her. "I've loved the girl talk ladies, really, but I have to go shower in the girl's locker room before I go to band hall so I don't foul it up after basically running in a circle for an hour." She stood and gathered her things and her empty tray.

"Right, right," Yang nodded and smiled with her hand on her chin.

"See you at the game Weiss," Blake bid farewell before Weiss left for the locker room. She waited until the alabaster haired girl was out of earshot before speaking again. "You sure do like to pry," she threw at Yang, adding an elbow to the ribs into the mix.

"No," Yang laughed scooting away from Blake. "Girl talk. Weiss is just lashing out because she's never been so transparent. She's been crushing on Ruby for a while. I don't think Weiss even knows that herself. I just want them to make out already," she finished with a yawn, stretching her arms upwards, her long yellow mane dancing slightly behind her as she did so.

"It's important for them to take it at their pace," Blake stated. "I think it's good that they're not putting labels on their relationship. It takes away an entire element of societal pressure to label our relationships, even aspects of ourselves that don't need defining for any reason beyond the sake of others."

"Society, Blake?" Yang questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Society, Yang."

"Come on it's high school. We're still in an incubator."

"High school is the most society, Yang. Less incubator, more control group."

Yang pondered that sentiment as she stood up to empty her tray. "You know, you might be onto something."


	2. Mana Du Vortes, Aeria Gloris

Out like a light. Whenever she slept, Ruby was always out like a light. Weiss was convinced she went straight into REM cycle as soon as she slipped consciousness. She would wake her though, at some point. It was only 10:21 in the AM. The majority of the day was still very much so ahead of them. So she laid there next to Ruby, head propped on her elbow, just watching her sleep. Weiss always suspected that Ruby still drooled in her sleep, but found out that wasn't true once the line between friendship and more started to blur. What she did find out was that Ruby had little pieces she kept from anyone else. Meticulous little pieces of herself, intricate and precise, these 'little bothers' all her own. That was until she shared a few of them with Weiss. She looked down at her friend and laced her fingers into the hand Ruby had resting on her stomach. That was Ruby's Constant, a cheeky name Ruby had for her 'discomfort factor', a variable that weighed in on whatever she did. The truth was Ruby lied to her mothers about how long her stomach had been bothering her. Not by much, but by enough to matter Weiss thought. Two months and four months are different. That was one thing Weiss almost disliked in her friend, this weird stoicism she had. Weiss had seen Ruby hold something until the pot was boiling over a handful of times and nothing positive ever really resulted from it. Just damage control.

Weiss shook her head to scatter the accumulation of thought and decided it was time to rouse the sleeping one. She placed a kiss on Ruby's temple to gently disperse the dream Weiss was sure she was having. No movement, so again, but this time with an additional kiss to the cheek. A stir. "Ruby, its 10:30. Let's start the day." That elicited a mumble of sorts from her, prompting Weiss to repeat her actions.

"..what time is it?" Ruby slurred as she idled between awake and not so much awake.

"10:30. I already said that," Weiss replied growing playfully impatient. She wanted a fully conscious Ruby to interact with.

"Okay.." Ruby emitted, threatening to sink back into the weightlessness of sleep.

"Come on, Ruby," Weiss demanded, pulling the girl into her enough to disturb her sleeping position, yet still be comfortable.

"Okay, I'm here. I'm awake." Ruby groaned before she drug herself slowly upright.

"You didn't have to sit up fully," Weiss stated bringing herself up to a sitting position as well.

"I know, but I needed to or else this completely lucid speech would not be possible." Ruby yawned an incredible yawn, stretching her arms out in front of her and bowing her back. A familiar twinge, Ruby's Constant, and her hand came to its home position on her stomach.

"Your stomach?" Weiss asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know it," Ruby grinned almost drunkenly. "It must have been what I ate last night. Baked chicken, brown rice, and edamame are added to the list unfortunately," she joked.

"I apologize if I woke you up too suddenly," Weiss started before she was cut off.

"No, no. This is the trial and error of it all. I eat and things make me feel bad or they don't. I see it as one step closer to nipping this in the flower. And in time to start training for soccer." Ruby waved her free hand as if trying to assuage the rest of the concern her words couldn't wash away. She looked into Weiss' piercing blue eyes to see to what degree she succeeded, but Weiss' eyes still retained a degree of concern that Ruby was sad she couldn't disperse.

"I see," Weiss replied briefly, seemingly pondering something in the interim before she continued. "Be sure to make a note of it. I imagine you'd prefer to start feeling better sooner rather than later."

"Sooner than that," Ruby smiled. "Raven picked up my prescription on her way home from work yesterday so at least that's some sort of at-the-ready salve." Ruby bounced off the bed and offered a hand to Weiss. "Let's go downstairs. I'll make you coffee."

Weiss accepted the hand offered to her and did a sort of sit roll off of the bed. They made their way down the stairs, hands separating at some point that neither cared about. When they entered the kitchen Raven and Summer were unintentionally posted up and holding hands in front of the RigKeur, drinking coffee and talking about something or the other. Given their attire, Summer a nightgown and a robe and Raven seemingly just a robe, they might have also just come down for the first time this morning. Ruby eyed them curiously, an expert trying to decipher the actions of an animal in the wild for a Planet Animal documentary. They had this aura about them, almost as if they were glowing. As soon as Ruby thought that, Raven noticed her, locking her blazing eyes into the pale of Ruby's, a smirk growing ever poised to say something downright awful.

"Dramati—"

"Guys!" Ruby interrupted almost frantic. Raven was howling, Weiss looked confused, and Summer was simultaneously trying to boot Raven from the kitchen while also trying to vocally separate herself from Raven's antics enough to convince her daughter, and laughing. "I can't believe you guys are my guardians.." Ruby sighed. "Just vacate the area in front of the coffee maker!"

"Good morning," Weiss floated out there after deciding to put all the previous confusion behind her as something she wasn't meant to and didn't need to understand, and greeted Ruby's parents.

"Good morning Weiss," Summer floated back, rounding the island after pushing a waving Raven into the living room to kiss Ruby on the head. "How do you feel this morning?" she asked her daughter.

"More or less same-y. I don't think dinner agreed with me last night," she summarized for her mother. "Can you point me in the direction of ye olde prescription?"

"Top of the refrigerator. Read the information about recommended dosage and intervals. Also feel free to use the magnetic pad on the right side of the refrigerator to keep notes about what foods or meals hurt your stomach." Summer brought her hand to the side of Ruby's head, fingers guiding the rest through the hair, and pulled her close in a slight embrace, kissing her tenderly on the side of the head. Ruby suddenly swelled with emotion. She knew her mother was looking out for her, she appreciated the concern, it helped to negate some of the, at times, overwhelming concern she had for herself and her health. And not just Summer. Both of her mothers. Though Summer and Ruby shared this particular line, as did Raven and Yang, that Ruby always chalked up to being a bond the birth mother shared with her child, something original, something kindred. Ruby just knew Summer could and would catch her if she were to fall.

"I will," Ruby said, seemingly lost in thought as she made her way to the RigKeur. "Black coffee, yeah Weiss?"

"Yes please," Weiss confirmed taking a seat at the island where Summer now sat equally as lost in thought as her daughter. Or at least she seemed to be.

"How have you been Weiss?" Summer asked, an element of genuine curiosity in her voice.

"I've been good. Still marching. Unfortunately I didn't make guard captain this year, but I suppose it's fine given that our current captain is actually really competent. Especially compared to the one we had last year."

"I'll have to come and see the show this year. At least once," Summer engaged.

"You should. It's amazing. Our production is _Aeria Gloris._ It's a show about the tides of life and how everything either returns to the earth or the sea. It has a lot of micro and macrocosmic foci on life and the trials of life. The music selection is good, though we only have the Opener on the field for show."

"Sounds intriguing," Summer said, her interest genuinely piqued at the show's overt synopsis Weiss gave her.

"Do you have your Saturday o'clock today?" Ruby asked her mother when she joined them at the island with Weiss' coffee.

"I do, and will for the foreseeable future. There are a couple of students that I council so I've set their appointments for Saturday so they don't ever interfere with school."

"Do you usually get a lot of high school students that come through the practice?" Weiss wondered.

"We do," Summer answered. "College students as well, but it wasn't until about two years ago that I started taking youth and young adult patients."

"Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" Weiss wondered, genuinely curious about Summer Rose's decision and to some degree what types of things plague the minds of young people.

"Well," Summer started, rolling something around in her head before continuing, "I had been counseling mostly adults for the majority of my career, but it was the year before last when I came to the personal realization that a lot of the adults I counselled could have been helped more if they were in our office when they were younger. Not every case of course, but a lot of the people I saw, with help when they were younger, would be in better places than they were when I saw them."

Weiss thought that over for a moment. The logic was sound, but there was something she still wondered about. "How often do kids voluntarily reach out for help?"

Summer sighed and then smiled a bit of a sad smile at the keen head Weiss had on her shoulders. "Not as often as I would like. The problem is two-fold though. On the one hand," Summer illustrated, talking with her hands, "a lot of younger individuals aren't aware of the resources out there that are available to them, so they don't know to ask, and on the other, younger people can be some of the most hesitant to reach out for help. Or they don't know how to ask." She finished answering Weiss' question before getting up from the island. "It's something I'm trying to change in my own way over time."

"That's admirable," Weiss deduced for herself, eliciting a smile from Ruby's mom and a small 'hm'.

"What's on you girls' agenda for the day?"

Ruby chimed in to answer this before Weiss could say anything about homework. "We're going to the Square for lunch and general hangage."

"Sounds like a nice way to spend a Saturday," Summer smiled. "I have to get ready for work, but Ruby, how's the medicine working? Its been about a half hour or so."

"It's working better than I thought it would. It's kind of soothing everything."

"Good, good," Summer accepted. "Have fun today," she said before leaving them to finish her routine for the morning.

"We will," Ruby confirmed as her mom disappeared down the hallway.

"So, the Square?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. I figured we could walk around, go to the bookstore, eat lunch. A nice, relaxing day."

"Alright," Weiss smiled. "Well, go get ready it's after eleven." She stood up and discarded her empty coffee mug into the sink before gently shooing Ruby up the stairs. "I'll be waiting in your room, go shower."

"Okay, okay. Let me grab clothes first," Ruby demanded darting into her closet and returning with jeans, a t-shirt, and other miscellany. "Be done in a flash." Ruby skipped out the door to the bathroom, leaving Weiss in her room while she readied herself for the day. Ruby skipped back in twenty minutes later, hair still damp, but more or less ready. Down the stairs they went and out the side door. Ruby's little red van Crimson Rose, a family heirloom handed down to Ruby from her mother's more free spirited days (that ended only two years ago once she decided to give Ruby the van and get more of a 'mom wagon' according to Raven), was parked off in the grass and Weiss' white sedan was pulled in behind it.

"Should I drive?" Weiss asked.

"I'd appreciate it. I don't really feel up to driving today," Ruby shrugged.

Weiss nodded and unlocked her doors so they could climb in. Starting her engine, she backed her car down the driveway and proceeded to the route. The drive was spent mostly in communicative silence as Ruby took the opportunity to share a couple of songs she had discovered with Weiss on the brief ride. The Square, a fairly large, pedestrian centered part of Vale, was about a ten or fifteen minute drive from Ruby's house, depending on traffic. It consisted of one large, two-lane traffic circle, a decently sized park at its center, and various shops that spread back all along the circle's circumference. This created a tiny town of sorts in a pocket of the city that only allowed foot traffic. It was a big tourist attraction and several festivals and events were held there throughout the year. Its slightly labyrinthine layout made it such a great place to get lost in for hours with the promise of some interesting shop or food place around every wrongly turned corner. They were just arriving on the outskirts of the Square. Weiss was driving around looking for parking, knowing it'd be infinitely easier to park outside of it and walk in as opposed to the inverse.

"Want to get lunch first?" Weiss asked Ruby as she backed into a parking space, a precaution she took just in case the lot was congested when they left, ultimately rendering her unable to back out until a good citizen left a break in traffic for her to do so.

"Yes, please. Can we go the sandwich shop down Vytal Alley? I want to eat something fairly basic to avoid poking the lion," she said, gesturing at her stomach.

"We can," Weiss smiled at Ruby before getting out of the car. The weather was perfect for a day out on the town. The mid morning Summer rays weren't too hot or bright, though the temperature would very probably rise as morning turned into afternoon. The duo started toward the Square down the back streets. They were familiar with this path. It would take them almost straight to the sandwich shop down Vytal Alley on the outside of the Square and from there they could explore its depths after they had lunch.

"How was the halftime performance yesterday?" Ruby asked as she moved closer to Weiss, the foot traffic increasing and the side street narrowing as they got closer to their destination.

"It was good," Weiss confirmed with a smile, genuinely satisfied with the band's halftime performance, especially the guard's. "We only have the Opener on the field for show, but it's coming along really nicely."

"Opener? Weiss, do you even know her?" Ruby joked causing Weiss to roll her eyes. Ruby was sure if she rolled them any harder the white-haired girl would have stroked out.

"Ruby, I absolutely regret you coming to a rehearsal and learning that joke."

Ruby laughed. "C'mon Weiss, it's a little funny."

"It's childish and corny after you've heard it eight thousand times."

Ruby rolled her eyes still smiling. After two turns and having to avoid the strollers of a family of six, they arrived at their destination and took a seat on the patio of Alleyway Sandwiches. A waitress noticed their arrival and brought over two menus for them to peruse before they ordered. Ruby knew what she was going to get without the menu. Something very simple. A ham and cheese sandwich, add lettuce and tomato, with a side of sweet potato chips. Very basic.

"..I think I'm going to go with the cranberry and sunflower seed chicken salad sandwich," Weiss decided.

"Sounds good! My treat. I'll wave the waitress over." Before Ruby got the chance to lift her arm from the table, Weiss interjected.

"Your treat?" she asked, eyebrow raised a bit.

"Yup."

Weiss thought about it for a second. "No, I think I'll treat you."

"What if I don't want to be treated by you?"

"Well what if I don't want to be treated by you?" they volleyed back and forth playfully.

Ruby pondered something. "Is this a date?"

Weiss was taken absolutely aback by Ruby's question. Such a short sentence left Weiss at a loss for words, if only for a moment. She thought about her conversation with Blake and Yang yesterday and composed herself all in a matter of seconds. Her thoughts were in an uproar at that simple question. Mostly an indecisive uproar, but an uproar nonetheless. And so she didn't so much decide to, but rather let an answer fall from her mouth. "..Yes." There was no going back. Not that she wanted to. She always pressed forward, and did so with this as well.

"Cool," Ruby replied simply. "In that case I'll let you treat me to lunch, but I get to treat you to ice cream from Neopolitan's." She smiled at Weiss as their eyes kept contact. There was something in Ruby's eyes that let Weiss know this might not be up for discussion. She didn't mind.

"Fair enough," Weiss relented smiling at the girl across from her. Of all those labels that weren't being put on the relationship they had, today one developed from a simple question Ruby asked on a natural whim. They were dating.

….

Summer focused intently on the content displayed on her computer screen. The file was her most recent notes on her next patient. She had been counselling the girl, a high school senior, for about a year and a half now. She showed signs of improvement over that time, but it was still an ongoing battle, an uphill one even given that the girl has needed to change medications three times in that same time span. It was devastating each time, but both Summer and the girl's psychiatrist agreed that it ultimately couldn't be avoided if they were to find the right combination of medication for her that didn't have as many negative effects that all the others had. Her current medical regiment was working better than the previous ones, but this was always something Summer encountered that made her consider going back to medical school for psychiatry. If she could encompass both sides of the treatment process, she could lessen some of what invariably got lost in translation between psychologist and psychiatrist in an attempt to reduce these sorts of devastating turn-arounds in patients with their medication schedule.

The call button buzzed on her office phone. She pressed it to receive the message she knew was going to tell her that her one o'clock was here.

"Your one o'clock is here Mrs. Rose. Shall I send her in?"

"Yes you may," Summer permitted a little mechanically as she prepared for the next half hour or so. She stood from her desk and left through the door at the front of her office into the area where she took her patients. She sat in a large brown leather armchair, clasping her hand in her lap, and waited on her patient. The doorknob turned and the door began to slowly open, prompting Summer to stand almost as soon as she had sat to greet her patient. "Good afternoon, come on in," she invited.

"Good afternoon. I'm sorry, I'm a little early.." the girl tapered off as she timidly stood in the doorway.

"It's alright. I plan my appointments with breaks in between just in case any of my clients need to come in early or stay later. Please, come in," Summer invited again, the girl in the doorway somewhat hesitantly entering to sit on the couch across from Summer's armchair. "Would you like any water?" Summer offered.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though."

"You're welcome," Summer smiled at her, taking her seat. "How have you been this past week?"

"This past week has been fine. School hasn't been too demanding since I dropped a couple of clubs this year. I've decided to take the opportunity to pace myself this semester and add more extracurriculars next semester."

"It's good to hear that you've decided to take some time for yourself to build toward future goals, but it's also important to hold onto things and activities that drive us or that we are passionate about, even when it feels like they're less enjoyable than they were before," Summer eased. "Do you mind if I ask what clubs you decided not to participate in this semester?"

"All of them except for the Science Club. I decided to leave track and field, the Debate Club, and the Good Samaritans."

"The Clubs that you left are ones that you've expressed you had a great investment in last year. What contributed to your decision to leave them this year?" Summer asked, invested in the reasons for why the girl chose to leave her club activities.

"Several things… Or maybe nothing, I'm not sure."

"Could you try and explain it for me? As best you can?"

"I just, I couldn't handle the idea of being in them anymore. I can't dedicate what I need to them. I don't know if I even want to. Last year it got to a point when I just felt _pressure_ , and sadness that the things I loved didn't bring me joy. I forced myself to stay in them so I didn't let others down or jeopardize my college applications. I couldn't do it this year. I didn't even do travel ball over the summer. I feel as though I've been unable to keep anything for myself."

"But haven't you kept something for yourself?" Summer reminded her. "Science Club." Summer smiled at the girl across from her. A loving smile, a maternal smile. She saw her eyes welled with tears she kept unshed, perhaps tears she thought too old to spill. "It may feel as though you've taken a step back, but in truth you've taken a step forward. You held onto something that I think is more dear to you and more important than any of the others. Why'd you choose to stay in the Science Club?"

The girl shook her head and laughed. "A boy."

"Do you want to talk about this boy?" Summer smiled as she raised an eyebrow, causing the girl to laugh again.

"I do actually," she smiled. "He's a sophomore this year. He joined the club last year and we gravitated toward each other because of our mutual chemistry fanaticism." She laughed. "His dad is a chemist too. Teaches high school. He told me a story once about how his dad sets bubbles on fire in the back yard for New Year's. He was just this sweet, funny kid I became friends with and could geek out with. He went to camp over the summer and we wrote letters back and forth to each other. It was nice." She blushed. "And.. he got taller over the summer."

"Did he?"

"He did," the girl laughed. "I'd never really thought of him that way before. The more I thought about it though, the more it made sense. We talked about a lot over the summer. I opened up to him about my depression and anxiety. He was just very comforting, and accepting. Insightful even. I could talk to him in ways and about things I couldn't with any of my other friends or my parents. I think that maybe I really started to like him over the summer when we were writing to each other. And that he's my height now doesn't hurt."

"It seems like deep down you knew all along what was worth holding onto most. In times of anguish I believe what people want and need most is that which brings us peace. I think you listened to yourself, knew in your heart of hearts what brings you peace and what robs you of it. Our peace is what helps us go on. Do you see how that could be accepted and celebrated as a step forward as opposed to lamented as a step back?"

"I do now. I really do." The girl smiled a small, almost relieved smile. "I guess I have trouble looking forward. Or maybe I get too preoccupied with how I felt in the past. I'm unsure. I just wish I could feel more, or have feelings as rich as I used to. Enjoy things.."

"The anhedonia you experience is something that can lessen over time," Summer soothed. "I understand the devastation you feel when it comes to having an absence of feelings towards things that you enjoy and have passion for, and I want you to know that those feelings can come back. It will take time, but I'm sure. You are doing something I think is very important for people with depression suffering from anhedonia to do, and that is nurturing what makes us feel those feelings and emotions thought lost for good. The garden may seemingly die, but planting seeds reveals still fertile soil," Summer finished with a smile.

"Thank you for that.." the girl said quietly . She was looking down at her hands, but Summer could see a small smile on her face.

"Not at all. I see strength in you and the desire to overcome. I am here to listen, help where I can, and offer to you any wisdoms or tools you need as you continue to thrive."

"I really appreciate that I am able to have you as my therapist. You've helped me more than you know."

"I'm glad that I have been able to help you," Summer said, smiling that maternal smile again. "Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"

"No. Today was really good. I also seem to have gone over my appointment," the girl laughed.

"It's fine. If you need more time, I have it for you." Summer offered.

"No. This is more than a good place to stop. Thank you again, but there's a boy I think I want to go be a nerd with," she finished before standing.

Summer stood as well to see her client off. "Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you next week."

"Thank you again Mrs. Rose. Have a good afternoon," the girl said once more before taking her leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is crossposted from FF.net. I will upload there, edit, and then upload the more refined version here. Please llok forward to it, Ivel.


	3. Runner's High

The courtyard of Beacon Preparatory School of Academic Advancement was buzzing with activity. Some of the buzz was left over from the previous Friday's victory the football team had over Signal Technical Academy, but the majority of it was just the usual lunchtime bustle and shenanigans: various sports balls being volleyed back and forth, spirited conversations, and the occasional light-hearted roughhousing. The year was in full swing and on its due course. The varsity football team's victory over Signal marked its third consecutive win this season, leaving a confident air around the school that the BPSAA's football team would be going to the playoffs again this year. This was mostly just the formal introduction to the school's year of athletic and academic achievements.

Beacon Prep was a highly accredited school for secondary education that excelled on many fields and in many classrooms for the majority of its existence. It was one of the top Launch Schools, a school tied to a collegiate academy, in Remnant. Graduating in good academic standing from one of these high schools more or less guaranteed that one would be able to get into the university of their choice, including the esteemed universities each preparatory school was younger sibling to. In the case of Beacon Prep, the university was the Beacon College of Academic Advancement. The other Launch Schools in a class with Beacon Prep included the Atlas Private Academy, Haven College Prep, and the Vacuo Education Institute. All year long these schools mostly competed with each other in academic and athletic activities, but they weren't wholly domineering in the least. Smaller schools like Signal Academy have been the team that has kept Beacon Prep from taking first in their varsity division more than once.

"The energy around the school after a victory is con-ta-gious!" a girl exclaimed from her seat at an outlying lunch table, her orange bob bouncing as she did so.

"It tends to be rather noisy though."

" _I_ can tell you've been infected as well Ren," the girl deduced, still bouncing a bit.

"I am having lunch outside," Ren confirmed with a nod that shook his violet and black hair ever so slightly, "so I think you might be right Penny." He had to smile to himself at that. The weather was nice and the sun wasn't too bright. He could tolerate a bit of noise.

"I was surprised we would be playing Signal this early in the season," Penny continued. "We didn't snag that win so easily."

"We'll undoubtedly see them in the playoffs," Ren said. "We always do."

"I just hope they watch the footballs," a tall, lanky blonde boy added as he sat down across from Ren and Penny, a red hooded girl in tow. "Win or no win, I'd like them to stay out of my lunch."

"The next time that happens Jaune, I say we instigate a food fight with Cardin and his cronies," Ruby inserted as she took her seat next to Jaune and lowered her hood. "That's happened twice this year alone and it's always Cardin's football in your tray."

"You are taller than him now. Maybe he feels intimidated?" Penny pondered genuinely.

"Unlikely. Maybe he just isn't as great at throwing that thing as everyone thinks he is," Jaune posed as he moved his somewhat unruly bangs from his eyes.

"He's the quarterback," Ren reminded causing Jaune to deflate a bit.

"Which is why he deserves a fruit cup to the face," Ruby asserted. "Speaking of fruit cups, I'm keeping mine today because I love mandarin oranges. That is unless someone wants to trade their cookie for it?"

"Here," Ren piped up first before completing his trade with Ruby.

"Chili for milk?"

"Me!" Jaune quickly flew in order to beat anyone else to it. "Are you holding onto your grilled cheese today?"

"My good sir," Ruby said accepting Jaune's milk. "And I am. Methinks solid form sustenance would be most good today. I'm going to run at least two miles after school. Gotta start getting my wind back for soccer."

"Mind if I join, friend?" Penny asked. "I should start training for the upcoming season as well, and if we do it together, we can motivate each other!"

"Don't mind at all," Ruby accepted. She knew training with her teammate would be a quick way to kick them both into soccer mode. "We can take turns with our miles and time each other."

"Sounds good! Where shall we meet after school?"

"The track around the band's practice field. I told Weiss I would check out rehearsal. Might as well run during," Ruby finished.

"You guys are on the girl's varsity soccer team this year aren't you?" Jaune asked with a mouth half full of chili.

"Gross, swallow please," Ruby said as she used her hands to block Jaune's mouth from view. "Maybe," Ruby finally answered once Jaune complied. Stabbing her first milk with a straw, she continued. "We have the opportunity since we're sophomores this year, but our tryout has to be _good_. They are not the division champions three years running for no reason."

"You guys can do it," Ren added supportively. "Ruby is probably the fastest of anyone from last year's junior varsity team, and Penny had the best shot accuracy. Not to mention, you guys came second in your division."

"This is true," Penny beamed with pride.

"We have to do better." Ruby said. "Yang's shot accuracy is inhuman, and Pyrrah Nikos runs a five minute mile. _Five._ My mile is a solid seven, but I need to shave _at least_ a minute off of that to even dream of keeping up."

"Keep in mind friend, Pyrrah is much taller and has longer legs than you. She can cover more distance in stride, but I think your agility gets you places where speed can't," Penny added.

"Even still we need to train, Penny. I know we can do it! We just have to do it," Ruby beamed confidently.

"I agree!"

"What's up nerds?" came a friendly voice from behind before Yang appeared in the seat next to Jaune.

"Yang, you literally take Robotics Lab," Jaune sighed as he again attempted to keep his bangs from his eyes. "It doesn't get much nerdier than that. Ren, how do you just let your bangs live here?" he questioned while motioning at his forehead area, genuinely curious as to how the other boy (a bit of a scene kid really) kept his own bangs from being a bother.

"They've always lived there," Ren answered simply with a smile.

"Some things do get nerdier than that. Speaking of which, there goes your science partner," Yang grinned as she pointed behind Jaune's head towards a girl with a long, red ponytail walking towards the school building.

"Later guys!" Jaune said quickly before he departed from the table towards the school building.

"Perfect timing," came Weiss' voice as she sat down in Jaune's former seat between Yang and Ruby while Blake quietly joined the table next to Ren.

"How did he do that!?" Ruby exasperated. "How do you just _become_ friends with the senior who's the captain of the soccer team? Do you think I can ask him to ask her to train with me?"

"I can help with that Ruby. I've been on a team with her for years. Pyrrah's super nice," Yang offered.

"It'd still be going through someone else," Weiss inserted. "Ask her yourself Ruby."

"And commit social suicide? I'd rather ease into my potential death. She probably doesn't even know who I am." Ruby finished somewhat defeated.

"Ruby, you were the captain of the girl's junior varsity soccer team last year, a team that placed second in the division finals. I highly doubt she doesn't know who you are. Plus, you're her teammate's sister," Weiss stated pointedly.

"She's right, friend," Penny agreed beaming. "You weren't our captain for no reason," she finished with a salute.

"Sound logic," Ren added, standing up with a wave as he oriented towards the building a flash of orange had just bounded into. "There's Nora. I'll see you guys later," he said, eliciting several goodbyes from his friends before he departed.

"I guess.." Ruby accepted reluctantly before slurping her first milk dry and stabbing into the second.

"Woah there," Yang said, "don't want dem bones _too_ strong, do you?"

"Bones can't be too strong, Yang. Besides that, it chills my stomach out," Ruby said.

"I thought you had medicine for that?" Weiss inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I do! That of which I am about to take," Ruby stated as she pulled a bottle from her backpack.

"Shouldn't you check that with the school nurse?" Blake asked.

"I though about it, but decided to cut out the middle man so I won't be running to the nurse's office all day."

"How often do you take it?" Weiss asked, her eyebrows raised again questioningly.

"As needed and enough. Guys it's fine. It's just an antacid" Ruby said, waving her hands in front of her as if trying to dispel the line of questioning.

"I'm not so sure," Yang said.

"Give me the bottle," Weiss instructed, prompting Ruby to hand it over. She read the label over twice to make sure Ruby's actions weren't maligned with the instructions. "Between meals.. as needed, but exceeding no more than a certain amount a day," she real aloud somewhat to herself, but also to summarize for the others. "Still, it isn't a smart look if you're seen popping pills during lunch," Weiss finished sternly as she handed the bottle back to Ruby.

"Fine, fine," Ruby relented. "I'll check it with the nurse tomorrow. It'd look a little strange if I did it now," she laughed nervously thinking of the potential consequences, a few of them quite possibly exaggerations of her mind.

"Yeah it would," Yang laughed. "You wouldn't believe how she reacted when I brought her a half empty bottle of pharmacy grade cough syrup after lunch because I forgot to do it in the morning. She _freaked_. Called mom down to basically prove to her I had taken what was missing."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Blake smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, hey! That was an isolated incident," Yang defended. "One, I was at home. And two, what was I supposed to do with a killer cough and no medicine cup?"

"Strangest texts I've ever gotten," Blake said to Weiss and Ruby, causing the former to roll her eyes and the latter to laugh.

"I'm _fairly_ unsurprised," Weiss stated.

"Same. You should see her on New Year's Eve," Ruby said before she started digging into her grilled cheese.

"Oh, I get those texts too," Blake laughed.

"As do I," Weiss sighed. "I can't believe your parents let Yang of all people drink. It only magnifies the less desirable aspects of her personality."

"The more _loving_ parts of my personality," Yang corrected with a wink. "I keep all my texts from New Years and they're just me telling you guys how much I love you. Call it a tradition."

"I usually only have a glass. Any more and I might as well have been dunked in wine. Mom and Raven will have a couple glasses, but Yang claims the rest for herself," Ruby said giving some insight.

"You guys only think I'm bad because Ruby doesn't text you when she's drunk," Yang smirked, earning her Ruby's attention. "She gets _really_ energetic. She's a lightweight, so one glass and she's singing at the top of her lungs trying to get everyone to karaoke."

"I can see that," Blake chuckled. A gesture that did nothing to stave off the blush steadily creeping onto Ruby's face.

"That's a bit concerning," Weiss said, her mind trying to comprehend how an intoxicated Ruby could gain _more_ energy.

"I have videos," Yang started mischievously before being cut off by Ruby.

"Stop stop stop!" the beet red girl urged waving her hands in front of her frantically.

"Oh I'm _curious_ now," Weiss smirked.

"Me too," Blake agreed leaning into the fold.

As if Ruby's situation was being blessed by the Gods, an elongated tone resonated throughout the courtyard signaling the end of lunch block. "Bell!" Ruby exclaimed a little too loudly as she stood and quickly began to gather her things.

"Don't forget after school," Weiss reminded the frazzled girl just as she was about to bolt away. She wouldn't put it past Ruby's present flight response to leave her with a lapse in memory.

"Yes! Can't wait," Ruby confirmed with a thumbs up before yanking her hood up and darting through the crowd toward the school building.

…

Summer poured stop bath from the last of the tanks before replacing it on the counter. She was able to develop seven rolls of film today. The only task that remained was hanging the film to dry before she could consider her greatest mission of the day accomplished. As she uncoiled film and clipped it to the lines above the sink, music lined the background of her activity. Violin, cello, and guitar. The melancholic and haunting cries of desperation from a young and long dead avant garde singer songwriter from a small town in central Sanus. Raven asked her one time why she chose to listen to such anguishing music while she worked, to which she replied it was simply peaceful, in turn eliciting a shrug of acceptance from her partner. A call on her phone came as she was hanging the last roll. Seeing the name of the incoming caller, she made a bit more haste in clipping the final end and received the call.

"Hello Tai."

"Hey Summer. How is everything? How is everyone?" came a lighthearted, male voice over the line.

"Everyone's doing well. Raven has her hands full at the hospital, but that is the rule and not the exception, as usual. And the practice has been fine. It's been a fulfilling journey the two years I've been there," Summer imparted a little mechanically, though still genuine in her reply. She knew how this conversation was going to converge at the same point that it always did. She would never let it not.

"How are Ruby and Yang? I'm excited to hear how the new school year has been treating them!" Tai inquired genuinely interested, which caused Summer to sigh internally.

"They're fine, and it is treating them well. Ruby's going out for the girl's varsity soccer team this year. Yang will be playing again as well. If Ruby makes it, it looks like they will be going to the division finals together this year."

"That'd be something! They've won three years running haven't they? I'll have to try and make it," Tai said excitedly. "Speaking of which, three weeks from now I'll be in Vale for business. Let's all go out to dinner. I'd love to see the girls."

"Three weeks from now?"

"Yes. The week of the, of the fourteenth. Yes, the week of the fourteenth," Tai repeated.

"Tai. Maybe call me a little closer to the date and we can put something on the calendar," Summer suggested, knowing his habits of making dates and then unmaking them.

"We can schedule it now. I already have my flight booked. I'll be in Vale all week," Tai pressed.

"Tai, even though you'll be in Vale for the entire week, I'm concerned that you won't be able to make the time for dinner," Summer pointed out. She sighed internally again. She wasn't as much patient with Tai's insistence against his blatant trend of absenteeism as she was tempered by it. She wouldn't allow his behavior to go unchallenged when her children were concerned, so she stood as somewhat of a force against him when he behaved as though he didn't think his actions had consequences.

"Summer, this won't be like last time, I promise. I'll be able to _make_ time this time around," he replied, his voice starting to carry a frustrated undertone.

"Which last time, Tai? I don't mean to have the conversation go this way every time we talk, but your behavior hasn't done anything to no longer warrant that," Summer said, more steadfast in her position. She could hear the frustration growing in his voice and she would combat him before she would let him be absolved. That she had no patience or temperance for.

"Summer, I want to see my children when I come into town. This doesn't have to be a fight," Tai stated.

"And you can see your children, but that requires you to show up Taiyang. Call them even." Summer wondered if Tai truly had the audacity, or if he had an incredible penchant for not taking responsibility for his actions. She wondered what he thought his word meant. "Raven didn't even tell the girls you intended to go to dinner with us the last time."

"Why would you let her do that?" Tai asked, surprised at this piece of information. "Why wouldn't _you_ tell them?"

"Because they'd be let down again," Summer exasperated, her desire to put up with the conversation dissolved. "You were in town for a _week._ You missed dinner and every day before and after it. Neither Ruby or Yang take that well. You said you wanted to be a part of their lives. Raven and I allowed for that because at the time we thought you really _wanted_ it. You asserted that you wanted to be their father, but you've only shown them one who has been mostly absent." Summer was skirting the line between hysteria and passion. She was sure his audacity was tantamount to his ignorance.

"You _allowed_ me?" Tai started before Summer interrupted him, deciding to end the clashing of the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

"Call Yang and Ruby if you want them to know your intentions, because it isn't me and nor is it Raven who has the role of gatekeeper to them. That is something that is in your hands. And in theirs," she finished before ending the call with a brief 'Goodbye Tai'. Summer sighed into the room for the first time that past twenty or so odd minutes and leaned against the sink. There was nothing she could seemingly do to make him look objectively at his actions, to draw the lines from them to their consequences and their subsequent affect on Ruby and Yang. There was nothing more she could do to try and help him save the sinking ship that was his relationship with them. Yang overtime had steeled herself against the lack of integrity in his word. She ultimately came to accept it as the way her father was, but underneath the aloof and uncaring demeanor she took on, Summer could tell it still really got to her from time to time. Ruby on the other hand experienced minor devastations each time Tai fell through and Summer did her best to patch lowered spirits and nurse faith in Tai back to health each time. She couldn't do it anymore. Ruby and Yang were getting older. They had eyes to see, minds to remember, and this rendered Summer unable to do what little repairs she could on their relationship. Something would change either way, of that she was sure.

Another call to her phone brought Summer from her thoughts. She ignored the first two rings, slightly anticipating another call from Taiyang, before she gave it her attention and received the incoming call from her work. "This is Summer Rose."

"Summer, its Glynda. One of your patient's parents are at the offices and they are quite adamant about speaking with you down here."

"Which patient?" Summer inquired a little alarmed.

"Your one o'clock on Saturday."

Summer straightened and stood from against the sink. "Show them into my patient area and tell them I'm on my way."

"Will do."

Summer made her way up the stairs from the basement and down the hall to her bedroom to change. Her mind was wholly occupied by what the girl's parents could want and how bad of a want it would turn out to be. She pondered it on her drive to the practice. The parents had been insistent that their daughter be on medication to 'fix' her mental health problems, and weren't the biggest proponents of any form of talk therapy. Summer didn't want to come to a less than favorable assumption about their impromptu visit, but there hadn't really been anything in the past year and a half of being acquainted with them that led Summer to think they'd be anything other than combative in some way. Pulling into the carpark, she killed the engine of her car and prepared herself for what she knew would be some kind of fight for her patient. Walking into the front doors she caught Glynda's eye behind the front desk. The woman greeted Summer with her characteristically stern, green eyes as she rose to meet her.

"What's this about Glynda?" Summer questioned.

"In summation, your patient's parents have expressed to me their concerns about you as their daughter's therapist," Glynda imparted.

"About me?" Summer said confused.

"Yes. I'm unsure what their concerns are, they didn't necessarily voice coherent ones, but I have no misgivings about how you conduct your appointments in the slightest. We will hear them out and see what we can do to quell the concerns they have," Glynda affirmed as she tapped the back of Summer's arm to prompt her toward where the parents were.

Walking through the door ahead of Glynda, Summer smiled earnestly at the room's occupants and greeted them. "Good afternoon. I apologize for the wait. I understand there's something you wanted to speak with me about regarding your daughter?"

"There absolutely is something we want to talk to you about," the older gentleman asserted as he stood and approached Summer. Standing a pace or so in front her, he stood nearly a foot taller and wore a look of controlled fury on his face. "What kind of therapist do you consider yourself to encourage our daughter in throwing away her future? As if that were a _good_ thing."

"I've never encouraged her to do anything of the sort," Summer retorted knowing the tone this conversation was already going to take. "What I did do was offer positive support for decisions she made and talked her through some of the reservations she was still having about them."

"No," he the man started smartly, cutting Summer off at the very end. "These _reservations_ you've been talking to our daughter about, _your_ conversations with her have been what has led to her losing one scholarship and jeopardizing several others."

"More than that," the man's wife interjected, voicing herself for the first time in the conversation, "she says she wants to stop taking medication and just do _'talk therapy'?_ I'm of the opinion that might not be the best thing for her."

"I'm inclined to agree," Summer asserted, trying to pull them all onto some kind of common ground. "That is not a decision I'm qualified to make. As for her schedule of medication, that is something you'd have to talk to her psychiatrist about. I'm sure he is also of the opinion that is not in her best interest."

"We have talked to him about it. Dr. Watts is in agreement with us that you may not be the best therapist for our daughter. What you have to provide for our daughter is more _art_ than science and you've tended towards a more _creative_ approach that isn't helping her to our satisfaction."

"If I may interject," Glynda interjected _quite_ firmly. She could see the still waters that ran deep in Summer start to pulse and break, "Mrs. Rose is a highly accredited psychotherapist conducting herself in accordance with what my practice has stated it provides, and that is more or less 'talk therapy'. This is something that your daughter's psychiatrist isn't trained to provide, but needs in order to treat her mental health concerns. Having said that, there is nothing we can do if you decide to withdraw your daughter as a patient here, but she will need to start seeing another therapist." Glynda finished her statement, the finality of in punctuated by her stern, unblinking eyes.

"That is the intention, Mrs. Goodwitch," the man stated, his wife rising to stand behind him. "We'll be taking our leave and there will be no need to expect our daughter back," he finished before promptly exiting, his wife close behind him.

A moment of silence hung in the room after their departure before Summer turned to face her colleague. "Her parents have been the biggest obstacles in the entirety of her treatment. Their mindsets on mental health are _archaic_. How can we let them walk out of here and ultimately jeopardize their daughter's future the most?" Summer questioned Glynda as she skated that line between hysteria and passion for the second time today.

"I'm inclined to believe they had their minds made up about this well before they came down here," Glynda sighed, removing her glasses to clean them before she continued. "That is one thing unique to working with younger patients. You're also working with their parents."

"Those two have always left much to be desired in terms of cohesion," Summer sighed running her fingers through her hair. Her mind was racing with thoughts on how this could fall out. She couldn't imagine how the girl would adapt to a new therapist after seeing her for over a year and a half. They had built a mutual trust which allowed the girl to open up to Summer and confide in her honestly. And now the girl would have to build that again. All of her thoughts tore at her to the point where she started to pace back and forth in an attempt to try and quell them.

"Summer," Glynda spoke, softly touching the other's shoulder to still her pacing, "we need to remain calm in this situation."

"I'm sure that is the very last thing I could be right now," Summer said, giving in on her desire to pace to sit in the familiar brown leather chair. She put her hands to her face and brought them down, as though she was trying to wipe something from her mind.

"Remember," Glynda started, "the law states that a child does not need the parent's consent to seek counsel. The only thing her parents withdrew was their payment. If she wants to come in of her own volition, we can still take her as a patient. And we have the resources for that."

"What if she doesn't know we have the resources for that? Or that she doesn't need parental consent? I don't believe her parents are going to present this change to her without a sentiment of finality in it."

"Those questions I don't have answers for," Glynda admitted. "There isn't much we can do at this point in time, but it is good to know what we can do to help when the help is sought out."

…..

The music the band projected from the practice field no longer registered with her aural senses. All that was perceptible to Ruby at present were the sounds of her breath and the sounds of her feet hitting the blacktop. She was able to achieve a sort of stillness when she ran, amongst other things. Running was a meditative practice for her. When she ran she was able to gain a certain focus, gather her thoughts, or clear her mind. It was almost holy to her, a church she could always attend not too unlike the many pits she has danced in with Ren. Running was her peace and only rarely was something able to permeate that.

The sound of the band started to grow almost like static in her ears. She ran harder in an attempt to push it back out, but the all too familiar burning pain in her stomach returned to her through the door the music crept in through. She started to lose the more refined control over her breathing as the pain began to radiate through her stomach. She continued to maintain her pace as she approached the final straight of her mile. She attempted to regain her breathing control in spite of the pain. This was what marred her time on the first mile, so she actively decided to try and correct it this go around. She was considering a sprint to the end before her stomach lurched with a sharp pain. She decelerated clumsily past Penny who recorded her time. She collapsed to one knee a short ways past Penny, breathing heavily with her hand pressed to her stomach.

"You alright, friend?" Penny asked approaching Ruby's side, stopwatch in hand.

"Yeah," Ruby panted waving her hand to dispel the other's concern. "Just really pushed myself at the end. What was my time?"

"Eight minutes, seven seconds. An improvement over your first mile, but both really good considering it's the off season," Penny celebrated.

" _Let's set up for the full run."_

Hearing that from the press box, Ruby knew the band was about to set up to do a full run through of their fielded show. "Let's get a seat. I wanna watch the full run," Ruby suggested to Penny who readily accepted. As she stood up, a duller pain sounded off in her stomach causing her to break her upright posture a little forward as she made for the bleachers and caressed her stomach.

"You didn't push yourself too hard I hope," Penny said, a concerned look in her eye for her friend.

"No, it's just a cramp I guess," she lied as she took her seat, elevated and centered enough to get a good sound quality and balance as well as a decent view of the guard work. The run started and Ruby tried to focus on the performance despite her discomfort. When it proved to be ineffective she decided to focus the whole of her attention on Weiss. Ruby didn't know much about colorguard, but she did know enough about music and physical activity to understand that the degree of precision and execution Weiss performed with solidified her talents as well above the average. Ruby was always mesmerized by Weiss when she spun and considered her incredibly brave to toss a wooden rifle above her head to catch. Even more brave to do so while moving, especially if any of the horror stories Weiss told her were examples of what could go wrong when one threw a rifle above their head.

Right at the start of the closer, the dull burning pain in Ruby's stomach started to brew nausea. Despite the fact that she felt as though she _could_ be sick, Ruby didn't want to get sick and attempted to dispel the urge. Subconsciously bouncing her knee, her anxiety mounted as her nausea steadily intensified. She continued to try and focus on the performance as it pushed to its close, but even as the band was called to ease, Ruby's attempts proved futile. "I'll be right back," she said more towards Penny than to her before bounding down the stairs and disappearing between the bleachers down the path back to campus. Penny watched her friend disappear down that path with a look of concern on her face. She was readying to go after her when she saw Weiss approaching from the field and attempting to flag her down.

"Where'd Ruby go?" she asked as she shouldered her weapon's bag. "I saw her here earlier so I at least know she saw the majority of the run."

"She ran down that way," Penny pointed. "I don't think she was feeling too well and she seemed a little pale when she left. I was about to go make sure she was alright."

Weiss turned to confirm where it was Penny was pointing before she marched in that direction herself, the other girl following behind her. They rounded the bleachers to see Ruby retching into the first garbage can down the path. Weiss lengthened her stride, reaching Ruby as she sat down on the steps nearest the trash can, leaning forward with her arms crossed over her stomach and bouncing her left knee. The knee was something Weiss knew Ruby did for various reasons, one being whenever she felt like she was going to be sick or after she was sick. She also knew the younger girl loathed the sensation of vomiting and would absolutely refrain from doing so if she could help it. Concern spread through Weiss as she saw the lack of color in Ruby's face. She didn't look well at all.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Weiss asked as she unequipped her weapon's bag to kneel next to her. She placed a hand on Ruby's back and began rubbing it gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just think I pushed myself too hard. Maybe too much milk before running around in the heat?" She attempted to chuckle but it came off a bit weaker than she intended. She was shaking slightly, a likely effect of regurgitating the contents of her stomach and then some, the act of which only seemed to magnify the burning sensation in her stomach. "I'll be fine," she breathed. "Did you grab my water jug by chance, Penny?"

"Sure did. Hydrate yourself," Penny said with a soft smile as she handed the jug to Ruby.

Weiss continued to rub Ruby's back, an expression of concern still softly etched on her face as Ruby drank. "Is your stomach hurting you?" Weiss asked after Ruby put the jug down, noticing that the girl returned to cradling her stomach and her knee having never ceased its bounce.

"It is.. I just," she attempted to reply before she shot up and dove for the trashcan. Weiss stood to rub her back as she got sick while Penny looked on concerned. Resurfacing a minute later Ruby retook her seat on the steps. She _hated_ throwing up. She hated anything that made her feel like she had to. The only thing she hated more than that was people seeing her throw up.

"Is there anything I can get you Ruby?" Penny offered, giving Ruby an opportunity to gently dismiss the one looker-on who had never seen her vomit prior to this.

"No. But thanks Penny. For bringing my stuff too," she panted, exhausted from her bodies unwanted rebellions. "I Just need to sit for a minute.. and _slowly_ drink water. You can go ahead if you want."

"I'll sit with her Penny," Weiss chimed in using the opportunity to gently shoo the girl away for no other reason than to hopefully prompt more honesty from Ruby when they were alone.

"Alright," Penny relented reluctantly. "Call me later and let me know how you're doing?"

"I will. I promise," Ruby confirmed with a weak smile. Penny returned the smile before turning and taking her leave. Weiss waited until Penny was out of ear shot before she questioned Ruby further.

"Ruby, enough," she said, bringing her attention back to her friend whose head was now between her knees, "There is nothing about your complexion or your behavior that supports you being fine. You're almost as pale as a sheet and you're not concealing your winces terribly well." Weiss was a bit sharp with her words, but allowed her touch to carry the comfort her voice did not. " _Are_ you all right?"

"I honestly feel pretty terrible," Ruby's muffled voice admitted as she leaned over to Weiss and placed her head on her knee. "I just need to sit for a minute.."

Weiss sat there with Ruby, determined to do so as long as she needed to. Feeling her shake as she rubbed her back, she leaned over and wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulder, planting a lingering kiss on the back of her still sweat damp head as Ruby limply clung to her leg with her free arm. Fifteen minutes or so passed and in that time Ruby returned to slow, even breaths. The bounce of her knee gradually slowed to a stop and she was no longer shaking. Slowly, Ruby lifted her head. Weiss noticed some of her color had returned to her, but she was still fairly pale.

"Did you drive to school today?" Ruby broke the silence first making eye contact with Weiss. She felt that she probably didn't look the best from Weiss' perspective because she certainly didn't feel the greatest from hers.

"I drive every day, dunce," Weiss replied with mock insult, getting a bit of the desired response from Ruby in the form of a weak smile. Weiss frowned when Ruby broke gaze and started to bounce her knee a little. The weak smile Weiss had conjured was replaced with a small frown of Ruby's own as she seemed to focus on something. Likely whatever it was she was feeling.

"Could you take me home?" she asked a bit meekly meeting Weiss' eyes again with a strangely sad look on her face. "I don't think driving is in my best interest considering I feel like I could still yak at a moment's notice," she chuckled at the end as best she could. She knew in her current state she probably wouldn't achieve her desired effect, but she wanted to at least try and dispel some of the concern Weiss emanated. The look on her face made Ruby sorry that she was causing her such worry.

"Of course," Weiss said gently before adding, "but you will be nursing doubled plastic bags because I will _not_ tolerate you retching on the floor of my car."

"Fair enough," Ruby chuckled again as she grabbed her water jug and carefully rose to her feet.

"Come here," Weiss said, quickly shouldering her weapon's bag as she stood, pulling a slightly unsteady Ruby into her to help support her walk to Weiss' car. Taking full advantage of the assistance she was offered, Ruby wrapped her arm around Weiss' waist and leaned into her as much as she could. Weiss' car wasn't too far of a walk since she parked it in the lot next to the practice field before rehearsal. Once there, Weiss walked with Ruby passenger side to let her in. She was a bit reluctant to break their physical contact. Ruby was ill and she wanted to touch her, to comfort her more and for longer. Weiss never liked seeing Ruby ill. More often than not she was nothing but kinetic energy. The times less often were dispiriting in a way. Times when Ruby needed some sort of battery she liked to innocently joke to herself.

Ruby loaded herself in to the car and Weiss rounded the front to do the same. Putting on her seat belt and reclining the seat back, Ruby sat there with her eyes closed and her arms crossed over her stomach. It hadn't caused her to feel this ill before and the pain she felt today was greater than the pain she had felt before. If she thought about it, she didn't think she could classify her discomforts from before as pain. The dull burning ache she was used to feeling was for the most part quelled by the medicine she was prescribed, but she wondered for how long it would continue to be effective. And the _nausea_. That was new occurrence. A most unwelcome occurrence. Suddenly this little bother was growing to be a sizable bother, especially considering that it was directly interfering with what she desired for her physical capabilities. She was growing concern for herself where before she would simply pluck the weed from her mind. Reaching her left hand out, she grabbed Weiss' right and squeezed it gently.

"Ruby?" Weiss said, ever so slightly surprised.

"Thanks for being here."

"I've been here for you. And I don't imagine I'll be going anywhere," she finished squeezing Ruby's hand back as she chuckled softly next to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is cross-posted from FF.net. I will upload there, edit, and then upload the more refined version here. Please look forward to it, Ivel.


	4. Just Waitin' For The Sun To Set

Sunlight bled into the room through the auburn-curtained windows, performing a silhouetted puppet show of sorts with the tree branches outside. This natural treat shone on whatever surface within reach of its resplendent red bath. Ruby stared at the shadows, quite unmoved by the patterns the blinds, the trees, and the occasional bird painted on her room this early morning. She was more or less committed to being a non-communicative entity that did nothing but vibrate an existence this entire weekend, her mood not necessarily the most receptive toward social interaction, moving, or anything really, if she even had a mood at all. She had tossed and turned herself awake on the _awful_ side of noon for a Saturday. Her stomach started hurting her sometime during her sleep and tore in and out of her dreams demanding attention until she relented and accepted her waking state. She was not enthused, but she ultimately charged it to the game as something that presently couldn't be helped much. She had another doctor's appointment this coming Monday. Then she could see what could be helped. Until then, she would be content with choosing to simply exist through the weekend. Or so she hoped. Her scroll vibrated on her bedside table. She closed her eyes, thinking to ignore it, but resigned herself to at least checking it after it buzzed a second time. Two new texts from Weiss.

_'Are you REALLY going to be childish and continue to ignore me?'_

_'I don't care that you are mad about me telling your parents the truth about how long your stomach has -really- been bothering you. There is nothing in me that has an apology for that if you are holding out for one. Talk to you whenever."_

Ruby put her phone to sleep and left the text message without a reply. She wasn't necessarily mad at Weiss. Maybe she felt betrayed. Maybe she felt embarrassed. Maybe she was being a child and taking out her frustration by giving her the silent treatment. When Weiss walked her into her house Wednesday evening, Ruby hadn't expected her mothers to be home. Seeing her face devoid of most of its color and carrying herself gingerly inside the kitchen with her hand seared to her stomach, they expressed their concern fairly immediately. In the midst of Ruby trying to assuage their concerns with half-truths and a poor presentation of herself, Weiss came to the executive decision to divulge how long her stomach had really been a bother once it came the slightest bit close to coming up in the conversation. Naturally, they were both upset at her omission of the truth and an interrogation ensued, but not before Weiss dismissed herself, leaving Ruby to the courts. Her sentence? A strict diet of mostly sandwiches and water.

She had tried to attend school Thursday, but had Raven come and check her out once Wednesday afternoon's misfortune repeated itself. She was a heaving mess that couldn't keep anything down and, much to her chagrin, left an unfortunate mess for janitorial in a first floor bathroom. Her stomach rejected everything she ate and got revenge on her with rolling waves of pain and nausea. It was when Thursday's dinner came back up that Raven dropped the gavel on a dietary schedule of mostly wheat bread sandwiches and water until she had to forgo food before her appointment. She wasn't happy about it in the least. While it did prove effective in tandem with her prescription to help with a good bit of the nausea, it did little for the pain at times. Having left school before lunch Thursday and remaining out Friday, Ruby hadn't talked to Weiss or replied to any of her text messages for two days by this point.

Clenching her jaw as a pain came to a crescendo in her mid section, she turned back onto her stomach and buried her head in her pillow. Honestly, she knew she was being childish. Weiss was concerned about her and so were her parents. It wasn't right for her to lie to them and it wasn't right for her to punish Weiss for acting out of concern. Truly, she was just angry at herself. What did this reticence get her anyway? And why did she feel her initial approach was sound? Raven had presented a very sobering thought to her during her initial defense that hung in Ruby's mind like a marionette tangled in its own strings, struggling to itself, never going anywhere. Raven told her that neglecting to honestly address this concern at its onset and not changing or monitoring her diet responsibly (she had maintained a fairly garbage diet) could affect whether or not she plays soccer this year. The urge to cry swelled in tandem with another resounding pain. As did some malcontent. If she was going to be up this early on a Saturday, she'd much rather be outside practicing her footwork or playing with Zwei. Instead she was brooding in bed and tossing restlessly from persistent pain as her thoughts shuffled between lamentations and frustrations. Maybe a part of her commitment to exiling herself in her room was a guise for her wanting to hide. There was nothing pleasurable in disappointing your parents and causing them such undue concern. Her 'interrogation' was less that and more Raven and Summer sitting her down to get to the actuality of it all after Weiss imparted her tidbit of information. It was a conversation where she didn't meet many eyes. Summer and Raven wore their concern differently. The former in her soft, pale, yet caring eyes and in the slight frown on her face; the latter in a calculating, fixed gaze as she thought on how a dull ache grew to full on pain in about a week. Suddenly she wanted to reply to Weiss, apologize even. Apologize to everyone.

A buzz from her phone cleaved her mish mash of thoughts in two and Ruby's excitement stirred. She knew Weiss had an all day at school today in preparation for the band's upcoming competition, but hoped, despite giving her no reason to, the guard girl had stolen away and texted her again. The text wasn't from Weiss, but the name on the unread text message continued to stir her excitement all the same.

_'Hey squirt! How's the school year been treating you so far? I won't be able to reply right away, but I wanted to let you know I'll be in Vale the week of the fourteenth. Can't wait to see you. Text me about school and I'll reply when I can. Love you, Dad.'_

Ecstatic anticipation grew. Forgetting her commitment to being a little red hum in the corner of the house, she slid out of bed towards Yang's room to see if she got a text too. Peeking inside her sister's room, she saw only an empty bed with a disheveled mound of covers trailing to the floor. Given that it was now after ten, she assumed Yang was downstairs watching TV. Ruby would have bounded down the stairs with the energy befitting her excitement, but steady pulses of dull pain arrested her movements and subdued them to a more reserved pace. "Yaaang," she called as she descended the stairs, a slight hitch at the end as a particularly strong pulse made her wince.

"Ruuuby," Yang almost mooed from downstairs. "Come hang out with me!" Yang looked over the back of the couch as Ruby finally alighted the stairs chuckling at how Yang called back to her. "Come sit. You look like you already don't feel the best," Yang added as she sprawled out less to give Ruby room to sit down. Yang watched as her younger sister walked slowly over to the couch and sat down as carefully as she could before pulling her legs up and cross beneath her. She was a little pale, having been unable to keep a lot of her food down the past few days, but more than that her sister looked a little sad underneath it all. Yang knew Ruby probably felt as though she was in trouble given how Wednesday night went down. Determined to try and cheer her up, Yang prescribed a day of sisterly hangage.

"I don't feel the best," Ruby said once she sat down, "but I don't feel the worst."

"Just take it easy today. Let's hang out and watch Webflix all day," Yang posed reaching over to ruffle Ruby's unruly hair. "Also, did you uh, get a text from—"

"Dad?" Ruby interrupted excitedly. "Yeah! He said he'll be in town the week of the fourteenth. It's been forever since we've seen him. Why doesn't his work give him more time off?" Ruby turned and reclined back onto her sister as she pulled out her scroll to show Yang the text. Ruby couldn't see it, but Yang frowned at the text she saw on her sister's screen.

"Yeah, he sent me that text too. That _exact_ text," she said, her excitement for the text nonexistent.

"It was probably just easier with him being so busy. He can't copy and paste replies," Ruby dismissed as she typed out a response to her father.

_'School has been great so far. Looking to join the varsity soccer team this year. We haven't seen you in ages! Tell your boss to give you more time off :('_

Yang let out an audible sigh as she finished reading the text Ruby typed out. That Ruby could still give Taiyang the benefit of the doubt said more about her than it did about Tai. Yang though, she had already recognized his game. The 'ages' it had been since they'd last seen him was maybe a little under or a little over a year, she couldn't really remember, and that had nothing to due with a lack of time off. Tai was a great dad for the first eight years of Yang's life and six years of Ruby's, but once his career started to take off, he became more preoccupied with that than being a dad. They saw him less and less as they grew from there, something Yang perceived as him just ghosting them over time. She would wonder on occasion if he got a new family, a different family all his own in Atlas. She remembered making the mistake of saying something like that to Ruby a few years ago when he made plans and bailed on them. She had never seen her look so dejected and as a result spent the next three hours consoling a crying Ruby as she attempted to convince her that it was a joke. A tasteless one, but better for Ruby that it be a joke than even a perceived truth.

"Yang?" Ruby's voice pulled her from deprecating thoughts of her 'dad' and back to the room.

"What's up Ruby, hungry?" Yang asked after a low growl punctured the silence before her reply.

"Yes, but no. Do you think Dad will show up this time around?" Ruby shifted her position enough to be able to look back at her sister. Her eyes were searchlights of silver hunting Yang's lilac ones for something in innocent, childlike necessity.

"Ruby I," Yang started, but soon struggled to find the words. Yang would never be the one to put even a single grain of sand on the fire of faith Ruby had in Taiyang. Yang had no real faith in him as a father, didn't really consider him hers anymore. Not to say that she didn't love him, she did, but she loved more a memory of a father rather than the man who didn't make good on his commitments anymore. "Ruby, I'm just not getting my hopes up this time. If he comes, cool. It'd be nice to see him. But if he doesn't.. I like to keep my expectations low," she finished. Ruby's eyes lingered in Yang's for a moment more after that before it became clear that whatever she was searching for wasn't going to be found there. She retook her initial position, breaking eye contact and settling her head back into Yang's side.

With one hand on her stomach and the other on her Scroll, she unlocked her screen to see if she missed a text by chance before putting it back into a disappointing sleep and relinquishing it to the couch. Ruby never took any offense to Yang's position on their father. She knew her feelings were justified. There was a _stark_ contrast between the Dad they had as little kids and the man now seemingly always too busy to call, visit, cancel plans he made and couldn't make, or even remake them. Still Ruby chose to keep that blind faith in her father. It was better than the alternative of wondering why their father's habits changed. Wondering if his work took priority over them or if he just didn't really want to be their dad anymore. Wondering if he had another family with other kids to love. Wondering in the radio silence that often followed their intermittent bursts of texts and short phone calls if she did or said something wrong or desired his attention too much. Wondering if he still loved her.

"Why wouldn't he _want_ to be our Dad anymore?" Ruby questioned in the smallest voice she had. Yang heard this sad inquiry and her heart fluttered sickly.

"I don't think it's that Ruby. Maybe he _can't_ be our dad anymore," Yang posed. "I mean, I'm not sure why it's different now, but I am sure that whatever the reason, it has more to do with him than it has to do with us. Everyone's got their own bag, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know." She sat up and wiped a few stray tears from her face with her palm and ran her bangs back from her eyes as best she could. "I definitely have my own bag. Specifically a very angry food bag that I'm regretting not taking serious. For several reasons."

"You also have a Weiss bag! I'm sure she could love you back to health," Yang snorted at her own joke.

"Staaahp," Ruby groaned turning to her sister.

"So what are you guys," Yang smirked, her eyes a little devious, "anyway."

"Nothing!"

"I'm sure if Weiss heard you say that she'd _nothing_ you into a shallow grave."

"Not like nothing nothing," Ruby corrected shaking her head. "We're just.. going with the flow? Though I did ask her last Saturday if that was a date and she said yes, so I guess we might be technically dating. And we kinda kiss a little so.. but! She's way mad at me right now so drop it!" She ended her rambling frantically once she saw that Yang's eyes and grin had grown significantly in expanse as she talked.

"Why's she mad at you?" Yang laughed. "And how do you _'kind of'_ kiss a little?"

"Shut up!" Ruby blushed as much as her pallor would allow. "And she's mad because I haven't replied to any of her texts since Wednesday.."

"Oh," Yang said realizing the gravity of the situation. There was nothing like that Schnee scorned. "Why the silent treatment Ruby?"

"Because she threw me under the bus!"

"I'm also sure that if Weiss heard you say that, she would throw you under an actual bus just to show you the difference between both actions," Yang laughed as Ruby wilted into the couch. "Stop pouting and text your girlfriend. I get the feeling you've already realized you're being a little unfair, so just apologize and get back to _'kind of'_ kissing her."

"She has an all day today.." Ruby imparted a little sad.

"That's an excuse. I get the feeling all she's doing is just waiting to hear from you," Yang winked at her sister.

"Make me an egg," Ruby stared.

"Uhh..hh, what?" Yang questioned, confused as all get out by the chaotic shift she experienced from Ruby's sudden and completely left-field subject change.

"Make me an egg for my sandwich, please?" Ruby elaborated out an adhesive for her initial statement to give Yang's world back some order. "While I text Weiss back? Plus I don't think I care to have the discomfort that'll come with standing long enough to cook it."

"I gotcha Ruby." Yang stood, clinging back to sense as she did, and offered a hand to her sister. "You sit, text your Weiss bag back, peel some lettuce and make your sandwich, and I'll bring the egg over when it's done." Ruby rolled her eyes before catching the lift up and heading toward the kitchen. Once up, Yang skipped over to the kitchen while Ruby followed at a more meager pace. She had all of the sandwich elements at the ready on the island by the time Ruby reached it and motioned her to sit down. "Sit, sit. I don't want you to over-exert yourself," she smiled at her sister.

"Small and medium rooms are easy to traverse in one go," Ruby joked, finishing the trip in a theatrical old lady shuffle before sitting down.

"And yet standing to cook an egg is too much," Yang laughed taking an egg from the fridge to the stove.

"It _seemed_ like too much at the time," Ruby shrugged before tearing away a paper towel to build her sandwich on. "Not gonna make an egg for yourself?"

"Nope. I already had chocolate-sugar-death-crunch," Yang beamed at Ruby earning her a scowl.

"Anything could be a sandwich if it exists between two pieces of bread," Ruby pouted. She idly wondered when she was going to start sugar withdrawals and if sandwiches would grow to be tasteless.

"True," Yang replied from the stove, "but if you make cereal into a sandwich, there has to be milk."

"You could dip it," Ruby offered as she used one hand to fix together what parts of her sandwich she could at the moment.

"Or soak it," Yang said over the sizzle in the pan. "I guess that would make it more of a _milkwich_ though.."

"Ehh.." was all Ruby left in the air, skeptical of this imagined _milkwich._ Finished with setting up her sandwich for the arrival of the egg, she pulled open her scroll to message Weiss.

' _Hey. I'm sorry I haven't texted you. I've been unfair -_-; Come see me after rehearsal? I don't care how bad you smell.'_

"Ruby," Yang started from over her shoulder after her sister smashed the send button, "you apologizing at the beginning might be the only thing that can save you from that."

Ruby's face fell, growing incresingly mortified as she reread her reply, Yang chuckling as she slid the egg on the prepared sandwich bed. And then her phone buzzed with an incoming letterbomb, of this she was sure.

_' t(-_- t) '_

"I taught her that!" Yang guffawed from over Ruby's shoulder.

…..

"Ladies, gentlemen: listen the _fuck_ up please."

Weiss' attention was pulled away from gathering her things and to a shirtless boy with flaming azure hair in nearly obscene short black shorts.

"Today's all day was great. At our level of performance we are poised to be the best _fucking_ colorguard on this continent," the boy continued. "However, having said that, we can't afford to get _comfortable_. There are still some things we most definitely need to work on. The one thing at the forefront of my mind right now, hm what could it be: _flags?_ " His pause and sarcastic flare grated Weiss' nerves. "Dropping them to be more specific. This is a four by six foot silk people. That. Is. A. _Sedan._ We are dropping _sedans,_ folks.So when one of those babies hits the ground, all the spectators see is a car crash on the field. Due diligence will fix this, and I know _all_ of us are _more_ than capable of performing. Guard captain out. Sun, anything?" The guard captain, Neptune, motioned theatrically to the another shirtless boy with unruly blonde hair who stood to his right. His nonchalant, yet pointed address left Weiss seething after he was done, mostly because she had dropped during the full run and knew she was not exempt from 'crashing a sedan' on the field.

"I know we've only been running the closer for just under a week," Sun, the guard's co-captain, carried on, "but our rifle and sabre work are as demanding as the flag work and they aren't suffering. We've got this. Let's just keep working hard to clean everything up. Oh, and last thing before you guys are free: Monday we will be adding swing flags to the ballad."

" _Fuck_ swing flags," Weiss retorted in the wake of this new information along with a handful of groans.

"I feel that on a _spiritual_ level Weiss," Neptune agreed at first, "but when it comes down it, their effect will be gorgeous, especially with the silks that came in."

"So go home, get some rest, and make sure to spin a little on Sunday. Break!" With Sun's conclusion the colorguard began to disperse. Weiss finished packing her bag before she checked to see what was behind the blinking notification light on her scroll. A few stray texts came from Ruby after the terribly fitting emoticon Weiss had sent her during lunch. Maybe this was her deciding to get back at Ruby a bit for ignoring her, but Weiss nonetheless decided not to reply to her messages after seeing that they were mostly benign.

"Check these silks out ice demon," a voice came from behind Weiss. She turned just in time to see Neptune plopping down beside her as he readied something on his Scroll.

"I still don't know if I'm appreciative of that nickname," Weiss replied narrowing her eyes a bit.

"Please," he dismissed. "You are a _force_ whose execution is as cold as ice. Talent such as ours is sacrilegious and I need more people who I know will _perform_ even to spite the Gods. Just catch your _sedans_ from here on out." Weiss gritted her teeth and threw a _sharp_ glare at her captain who just rolled his eyes and continued before she could bite his head off. "Oh calm down. You see why I compared them to sedans? Now you can't stop thinking how _glaring_ a flag drop is. Makes you want to _get better_ , huh? So stop dropping sedans so you can lead this guard next year after Sun and I graduate. Gods know I'd hand it to you myself if I could. Now look at these _silks_." If it were anyone else in the world that had the nerve to talk to Weiss like that, she would have promptly rose to challenge the person who maligned her honor so, but Neptune was a guard talent who seemed predestined for quite the calling on the field. She considered him a rival she could absolutely learn from as well as a friend she appreciated for his coarse personality and how talented he was. She relented with an eye roll for his unorthodox praise and looked to the haughty upstart's scroll.

"Wow, those actually look really pleasing to the eye," she assessed once she saw the photo.

"And they look even better in person and will look _amazing_ on the field. They came in during lunch so I fitted a set and tried them out. I also did what I could with the choreography to make it less _menial_ , but you can only do so much with a swing flag," Neptune sighed at the end.

"Stop complaining. Not everything that is visually appealing is difficult," Sun chimed in as he approached the two. "Simplicity is a virtue, or something." Sitting down in the grass with the other two, Sun pushed his hand forward to show them his thumb. He presented a red appendage with a nail that was bruising underneath.

"What _happened_?" Weiss asked staring at his thumb. As she continued to visually examine it she could make out the fine yellow fingerprint like pattern amongst blue and purple.

"Forgot to cut my nails," Sun shrugged. "They've gotten really long. When I went to catch a rifle toss, it caught on the very edge of it and took hella impact."

"I told you to cut them," Neptune inserted.

"Will you cut them for me? I've asked you that twice already."

"I'm not your boyfriend, cut them yourself."

"But you _are_ my best friend, and if you don't start being nicer to me, I won't march Absolution with you this year," Sun rebutted with an ultimatum.

"Whatever, fine. Do you want me to start painting them too?"

"No, I don't," Sun refused seriously. "I'm not in the business of hiding who I am just because people still have mindsets from the dark ages when it comes to faunus."

"You're from Vacuo though, are you not?" Weiss tended to forget that Sun was a faunus. It was hard not to when the only visual cue for knowing this was the fingerprint like pattern on the nails. The print on Sun's nails could easily slip notice though since the color of the pattern tended towards the color of the person's hair. She knew of and was acquainted with a few other faunus at Beacon. Velvet Scarlatina was the first to come to Weiss' mind because she was one who chose not to mask the brown pattern on her nails, but now Weiss wondered how many more of her classmates hid their heritage under a colored layer of nail paint. She knew what being faunus entailed in Remnant, though it varied depending on which Kingdom was concerned.

"I am," Sun confirmed. "Born and raised there like my parents. Vacuo is easier to grant citizenship to faunus who have a lineage in Vacuo, but it doesn't do much of anything for faunus migrating there in the hopes of gaining the kingdom's citizenship. It's.. can we do civil rights another day?" he asked as he started rubbing his temples. "I just don't want to go there right now. Absolution. Neptune, cut my nails or I won't march with you!"

"I already said fine," Neptune repeated with an exaggerated sigh before turning to Weiss. "You should march too."

"Oh trust me, I've been thinking about which winterguard to march since last year," Weiss said moving from the previous topic along with the others.

"Where did you march last year?" Sun asked, absently caressing his thumb to soothe it as best he could.

"I took the commute to Atlas to march Stalwart," Weiss answered. " I wanted to do it at least once before I made the jump to Absolution. I'd just much rather go to Winter Guard Global Finals with them."

"Their productions are always brilliant, aren't they?" Neptune inserted seductively. "You both know Ozpin designs the show concept? He also does a bit of choreography for the shows."

"You _lie._ " Weiss exclaimed in disbelief, Sun looking equally as taken aback.

"Remind me to show you kids a picture of Beacon College's colorguard from thirty years ago," Neptune stated as he stood, though his friends' disbelief didn't seem quelled. "He only marched a year or two, but aside from that the man's quite the artist and academic with a _well_ of taste and knowledge perfectly suited for creating the most moving shows one could have the privilege of _ever_ performing. Personally, I will _love_ to march under Ozpin's direction," he smirked. "But I have to take my leave, duty calls, or something. A 'jahb' I hear they call it."

"Slow down, you're my ride back to the dorm! See ya later Weiss. Tell Blake I said hi, please?" Sun scrambled up and jogged after Neptune who just tossed a lazy wave and a 'sedans' toward Weiss as a farewell reminder. Weiss fumed a bit at her captain's last remark, but only a bit. There was no use getting upset by it. She'd just make him eat his words sooner rather than later, of that she was damn sure.

The commute to the transfer dorms was a short one from the band's rehearsal field. All of the students who attended Beacon Prep from another kingdom tended to take up residence in these dorms unless they had family in the area to stay with. Weiss had been living in the dorms since she started attending Beacon Prep in the eighth grade. That was when she first met Blake. They roomed together in eighth grade and, having become fast friends after some initial difficulties, continued to board together each year. Prior to that she lived with her mother in an upscale apartment in downtown Vale while she attended the Beacon Middle Annex fifth through seventh grade. That was when she met Ruby. She dispelled the frustrating thoughts in reference to her friend as she pulled in front of her dorm. There was no point in stressing over the situation as it was, especially since she planned to go over to the dunce's house after she showered to give her _quite_ the ear full.

Blake sat on her bed and admired the nearly dry coat of black polish on her fingernails. She did this routinely every weekend to maintain an immaculate upkeep of her nails. She usually also applied a fresh coat to the nails on her toes, but given the time, she would have to wait before she could start painting those. Though she did do some prep work by removing the old polish beforehand, Weiss would be returning from her rehearsal soon. She spent the majority of the day finishing a most enthralling book and found only the time to tend to her fingernails afterward. Cursing herself only slightly for her misappropriation of time, she fished an old pair of striped socks from her drawer and slipped them onto her feet. Settling herself on the couch, she aimed to fish another book from the end table, but the doorknob started to jiggle from the vain attempts at entry. Hopping up, she sauntered over to the door to open it for what she knew would be a slightly irritated Weiss on the other side.

"You have to lift, turn the key, and then twist," she said with a smile after she opened the door for her dorm mate and pulled it back to grant her entry.

"I shouldn't have to _anything_ with how many maintenance requests I've put in to have our door fixed," she bit at the situation in general.

"You okay?" Blake asked as she closed the door and attempted to give her friend an outlet to vent her obvious frustrations.

"No," Weiss stated blandly. "Though most of my problems will be solved with a shower. But don't go anywhere. I will need a confidante to spill my bitter guts to, if you will have me," she finished as she discarded her bag and snatched up a change of clothes.

"I'll be here," Blake replied with a covert laugh in her voice. She watched Weiss disappear into the bathroom before she grabbed a book from the end table and pulled a thin blanket over herself. She was sure she could at least get through the prologue before Weiss reemerged. Yang had always said she didn't know how Blake and Weiss could room together for so long. She understood how the friendship could come about, obviously. Weiss was an honest and caring individual who made a great friend, her rough personality and sharp tongue the best weapon when she came to bat for her 'squad-fam' as Yang called it, but the two girls actually roomed exceptionally well together. Blake was quiet and neat and Weiss was _mostly_ quiet and neat, save for when she became frustrated with inanimate objects, school, her family, her read-headed best friend, or said best friend's occasionally peeving sister. In those times Weiss verbally took out her frustration on the room, a behavior Blake found more amusing than she would ever let on, but knew it was never directed at her. And after her tirade was over, her and Blake usually sat and talked out whatever was frustrating her. Weiss appreciated how insightful Blake could be and Blake appreciated that Weiss was the equally caring listener whenever she needed it. Living together was easy for them and it seemed silly to upset a good situation.

"Let me ask you something Blake," Weiss' muffled voice came when she emerged drying her hair, outfitted in leisure wear and rid of seventy-five percent of her frustrations. Well, maybe closer to sixty percent.

"Go for it," Blake invited placing her bookmark at the start of her book's first chapter.

"I'm about to go over to Ruby's and I'm unsure if I should _throttle_ her or—"

"Cuddle her?" Blake interrupted with a smirk.

"Do _not_ poke me, Blake Belladonna. What happens during this conversation effectively determines Ruby's fate. Do you want to sentence her to turmoil?" Weiss puffed.

"No," Blake laughed. "I want to sentence _both_ of you to talking to each other again. I don't think the blow dryer can handle another tantrum."

"Strike," Weiss faltered just a bit and for the _slightest_ of moments when a toe poking through a hole in a sock caught her eye, "..two Blake! I just need to know how angry I should be with her."

Blake caught the ever so brief hiccup in Weiss' stream of speech, saw a tracer from where her gaze broke. Her right foot was cold, more specifically her large toe. As quickly as Weiss recovered, Blake did the same and pulled her foot under the blanket and cursed herself for forgetting these socks had a hole in the toe. "You already know how mad you are at her," she continued naturally though her heart was beating quicker than just two seconds prior. "And you already know how much you would like to talk to her again. Just hear her out. And make sure she hears you out too. Just spare her the extravagance and be honest." Blake smiled at her dormmate who seemed to genuinely seemed to roll the advice she was given around in her head.

"Fine," Weiss gave her short reply as she stood and grabbed her keys. "Thank you, and I love you for putting up with me," Weiss said. She turned to her friend with a smile and was met with the same.

"Anytime," Blake laughed, breaking the gaze at the very end before Weiss left the room.

Weiss saw the shift on Blake's face briefly to fear, but they both pulled the conversation back from that seemingly ephemeral point that she _knew_ they both experienced. That's why she told Blake she was grateful and she loved her. Because Weiss knew she had most likely found out something that Blake had purposefully always kept hidden. Once she arrived at her car, Weiss sat in the driver's seat and reclined back to think to herself for a moment, opening the sun roof so she could stare endlessly into the heavens. The broken moon was framed almost too beautifully by the opening in the roof of her car, numerous stars twinkling as brilliantly as they could while being dwarfed by the shattered moon. Too beautiful, she thought. An intermittent vibration in her pocket alerted her that she was receiving a call.

"Hey Yang. I was just about to head over to address your sister giving me the silent treatment. Is that gremlin still awake?"

"Hey Weiss. Yeah.. no one's home right now.." Weiss picked up something off about the voice coming from her phone. "I'm calling to tell you that Ruby is in the hospital. I don't know much at the moment, she was in a lot of pain and getting really sick.. I'm sorry, you'll be the first to know when we find out anything.

The moon was just too fucking beautiful. She looked at the sight again, mostly because she felt her eyes welling with tears and couldn't finish talking to Yang if they fell like they desperately wanted to. 'Okay' was all she could manage when Yang invited her down to come and sit with them. Thankfully Yang replied with a simple 'see you soon' and ended the call. Once she did Weiss inhaled a jagged breath and became consumed with worry. She brought her hands to her face as the tears started to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and please look forward to more, Ivel.
> 
> Edited 2/20 to change 'Mercury' to 'Neptune', as well as minor fixes. My apologies for the massive oversight, Ivel.


	5. Kids

"I appreciate you taking the time to go over this with me again, Vernal." Raven leaned slightly back in the leather rolling chair positioned behind the fine hardwood desk in her home office. She had taken this morning to confer with a colleague about the curious case of 'Ruby's Constant' that had been a bane for her the past two weeks. She chose to adopt the humorous name Ruby had given her 'discomfort factor' after it solidified itself as more than a simple case of gastritis.

"How has your daughter been this past week? Has she responded well to the dietary schedule and the PPI?"

"She has, and she was able to return to school today. The suggestion for smaller portioned meals was the most beneficial given that the inflammation in her stomach presented itself mostly in the upper area. In addition, with the PPI she's now prescribed, she's been more or less asymptomatic since Friday and her final endoscopy showed that the inflammation decreased significantly."

"That's good to hear."

"It is, though the rate at which this initially progressed still has me troubled." Raven furrowed her brow as she remembered this one peculiarity.

"I agree," Vernal said. "From what you sent and described to me, it isn't too far reaching to say Ruby would have a peptic ulcer by this point if she hadn't been admitted, closely monitored, and her case personally treated."

"My thoughts exactly."

"And the result of the biopsy?"

"Negative for both the presence of H. Pylori and cancerous cell growth."

"That's good to hear as well, but the absence of H. Pylori is mildly curious. What are your plans for follow up?"

"If she continues to be asymptomatic," Raven began, "I'm leaning towards a follow up endoscopy and biopsy in a month, then every three months after that to make sure cancer is not on the table in all of this."

"Sounds good," Vernal confirmed, "though after the three month follow up, given she is still asymptomatic, any others could be spread out to every six months or longer. The biopsy came back negative for cancer and her blood tests weren't abnormal. This makes it unlikely that cancer could be or will be developing, so it doesn't warrant such a frequency of endoscopic invasion. Though I understand you wanting to be sure. Before I forget though, you said she claimed to 'taste metal' a week ago when she was sick. Did you find what resulted in that?"

"Mild esophageal irritation from vomiting," Raven imparted off-handedly.

"Okay," Vernal accepted, then paused before she continued. "Seems as though everything for the most part is leveling out. I'll continue to do some independent research to see if I come across any genetic ailments that align with the symptoms. Otherwise, I'd say Ruby is closer to her baseline of health than she was prior to this, but don't hesitate to call me if anything changes."

"I won't. Thank you again, Vernal."

"I'm glad I could help."

After the call disconnected on her scroll, Raven reclined in her chair again in contemplation. Coming home that afternoon just over a week ago to one desperately worried daughter and one violently ill daughter hadn't initially sparked the arguably profound concern she had, but when Ruby claimed that she was tasting metal after vomiting, she packed her and Yang into the car and admitted Ruby to the hospital. There she was able to control every aspect of Ruby's care, from her diet to her medication, as well as have her at the ready for any medical exam or procedure she deemed necessary to hopefully get to the crux of the problem. Her initial endoscopy at the beginning of her week long sequester showed inflammation in the upper region of her stomach that bordered on severe, inflammation that would most assuredly lead to an ulcer if something wasn't done. By the end of her sequester after adjusting her meals to consist of more frequent, yet smaller portioned meals in tandem with a PPI that would diminish production of stomach acid, her final endoscopy before release showed the inflammation receded quite significantly.

Sighing after the mental run through of the events and conversations of the past week, Raven stood from her desk and left her office to seek out the other occupant of the house she knew was thinking herself to death after allowing their youngest to return to school. She smirked to herself when the familiar smell of a certain Mistralian tea washed over her once she descended from the second story of their home. She laughed to herself and shook her head as she made her way through the kitchen, the familiar music that thinly lined the room downright _depressing._ And through the screen door that separated the foyer from the porch, she knew she'd find Summer Rose brooding on the porch swing with a cup of tea.

"And where else would I find my _very_ predictable wife brooding at nine this very fine Monday morning," Raven quipped once she stepped onto the porch and leaned against the peeling wall of the house.

"I'm sitting in _contemplative_ silence. If that constitutes as 'brooding', then what am I to make of your pensiveness just before you are about to be bested?" Summer kept her eyes forward as Raven most assuredly rolled her eyes before coming to sit beside her on the porch swing.

"That is _calculating_ silence. It is how I make sure I am the one doing the besting." She placed her arm on the back of the swing behind Summer. She could practically feel the waves of maternal concern rolling off of her. "Ruby is alright, Summer. I wouldn't have signed off on it after her incarceration if I thought she needed more rest."

"I know," Summer sighed, "I know. The past week has been mentally taxing."

"I know," Raven comforted. Several moments of silence elapsed and in those moments Raven observed Summer's changing facial expressions that were indicative of her having something particularly burdening on her mind. "What's going through your mind, Summer?"

"I.." Summer started before shaking her head and continuing. "When you called me last Saturday and told me you were admitting Ruby, I was terrified," she admitted. "I haven't felt that since.."

"I know," Raven comforted again, alleviating Summer of the burden of having to voice the particular memory that had bubbled to the surface. "I know." Truly, she needed to alleviate herself of the same burden. As silence passed between them, each woman was replaying the same particular memory in their mind. Its surfacing was an inevitability.

The house they lived in prior to the one they resided in now wasn't much different than its successor. Two stories, four bedrooms, a basement, and a sizeable back yard. The only difference was their first home had a pool. That house was initially the home of their dreams, more than suitable for raising a family. Though that home morphed into a thing of nightmares years after they'd taken residence there. It was during a particularly chilly fall, before the pool was covered for the season, that Ruby, ever the energetic and spirited child, had fallen into the pool and nearly drowned. Raven could still remember Summer's desperate cries for her over Zwei's barking from downstairs as she ran into the house with a water-heavy and breathless eight year old Ruby in her arms. She found Summer frantically performing CPR on their daughter before she took over with her own frantic, yet controlled attempts and sent Summer to call for an ambulance. She could still remember the blue tint of Ruby's skin as well as her desperate gasps for breath after she finally choked the water from her lungs. Raven knew there was the potential that Ruby may have suffered brain damage, but would not entertain it as wholly until the diagnosis was medical fact.

The resulting changes to their lives were profound. They sold what they initially thought would be their family home and moved into an equally befitting house, though without the pool. Ruby, as a result of the ordeal, suffered from mild cerebra hypoxia. The resulting brain damage was equally as mild and Raven observed its manifestation over time as a change in her youngest child's attentiveness, a presence of a slight discoordination in movement, and a change in her academic performance. Thankfully all of these resulting problems were _very_ mild, more benign than they could have been, and Ruby developed through childhood more or less normally. Any problem that presented itself could be negated by closer care and more patience with her.

Yang, distraught that she could have lost her sister, became somehow more protective over her baby sister, but with an added element of care and love that was beyond her ten years of life at that point in time. She held Ruby's hand oftentimes when they walked, helped her with her schoolwork, and even devised little ways to help her regain her focus whenever she started to become distracted. Summer and Raven had been so proud of Yang for how she cared for Ruby. She didn't highlight the changes present in Ruby (though their presentation _was_ rather subtle). Instead she just accepted them and created ways to help her sister have the best life she could have, which in turn proved to be a happy and healthy one.

Summer and Raven, equally distraught over the loss they could have potentially experienced, sought counsel with each other as well as a mental health professional. Summer's greatest problem was the guilt she felt at her perceived inattentiveness to her child. For a time she wasn't easily assuaged of her guilt, but a year or so later, she wasn't at the mercy of the extremes of anxiety and guilt she felt, though they were still present in manageable degrees. Both Summer and Raven had to overcome the terror that made a bed in their souls after their eight year old nearly died in their arms and in their living room, the terror that gripped them when they discovered Ruby had brain damage, the terror that generally filled them like a gaseous plague. It had taken them years to all rebuild and heal from the devastation of that potential loss, but they were a stronger family now because of what they all went through.

A soft kiss was placed on Raven's temple. "It seems my 'brooding' has transferred to you by way of osmosis," Summer said playfully. "Shall I turn the music up and share my tea?" Raven chuckled, a sign that Summer's attempt to get Raven out of her own head was successful.

"I think not," Raven smiled. "I don't wish to be primed for the rest of the day to ask everyone I converse with 'and how does that make you feel'." Summer laughed a genuine laugh and leaned into Raven's side as a more comfortable silence spread over them. These were rare mornings they shared together on the porch when they both happened to be off from work. The porch swing swayed slowly back and forth and they shared intermittent gentle moments between the silence in which they simply enjoyed each other's presence. Summer's brow furrowed ever so slightly in remembrance of a conversation she had last week, a desire to share it with her wife now surfacing.

"Did Taiyang call you last week?" Summer inquired. Raven scoffed.

"Tai doesn't necessarily _try_ to call me anymore," Raven imparted. "Last we spoke, I told him to get his shit together before he called again trying to pass it off as responsibility. I take it he called you seeing as you are the one remaining adult in this household with the patience for him."

"He did," Summer sighed.

"I can take a guess at how that went. He wanted to make _familial_ plans because he's coming into town soon."

"He did," Summer sighed again. "The rest of the conversation went about the way you're probably expecting, though my patience wasn't as abundant this time around."

"Good girl."

"I told him to call Yang and Ruby if he wished to make his intentions clear."

"As he should," Raven said. "I've _long_ been past running interference for him and I'm glad you seem to be deciding against it as well."

"I just decided to recuse myself from the role. Ruby and Yang aren't naïve children anymore. They see how their father is now and have the presence of mind to draw their own conclusions from his actions. There's not much interference that _can_ be ran for him anymore," Summer finished with yet another sigh.

"There really isn't," Raven stated matter-of-factly. "Though your patience has held out for longer than he deserved. I feel that says more about you than him, and I admire that in you." Raven smiled a genuine smile in admiration of her wife because she knew she was incapable of giving as much of a _damn_ as Summer did about trying to thwart or redirect Tai's behavioral trends, all while performing the role of apologist for the man. A role she knew Summer burdened herself with.

"This isn't something we can necessarily protect them from."

"I'm not sure if we ever could," Raven sighed. "Ultimately what Tai doesn't seem to get is that Yang and Ruby have thoughts _and_ feelings. And that is explicitly why I don't cater to or dance around his. He'll learn eventually. Whether that is too late or not is inconsequential."

"There isn't really a schedule of reinforcement in that method," Summer joked. "I'm not sure it will work."

"Then he'll get lost." Summer straightened enough to look at her wife's visage and frowned slightly when she saw the seriousness of her statement in her face.

"Do you mean that?"

"I'm stating what I believe to be the truth. The only reason we can't say he's gotten lost already is because he keeps coming back in the same fashion he goes: as he _pleases_." Raven's last word took a particularly cross tone.

"Hm," was all Summer offered before she settled back into contemplative silence in Raven's side. The situation with Tai was a vexing one that left both woman (only one admittedly) at a loss for what to do, but was it truly their role now? This wasn't something they could protect Ruby and Yang from, and whatever resulted over time was on its due course and yet, the ball still sits idly in Taiyang's court while his daughter's wait for him to give it genuine attention.

…..

"You checked in with the nurse, correct?"

" _Yes,"_ Ruby heaved in slight exasperation as she quickly traversed the halls to the courtyard.

"And what of your schoolwork?" Weiss maneuvered her way through the tangling mass of students as she attempted to keep up with Ruby. "It's undoubtedly a lot to catch up on so if—"

"Weissss," Ruby whined, checking her scroll for the third time since she escaped fourth period, "I've got it covered! All my teachers left a packet for me in homeroom, I have until the end of the—ack!" Weiss had grabbed onto the loop of Ruby's backpack and stopped her brisk forward motion, in part to keep her from running into a locker, but mostly to get the newly rejuvenated girl's attention.

" _If_ you would slow down and pay more attention you'd hear that I am _trying_ to offer to help you, if you would like." Weiss sighed as they started again towards the courtyard, but this time at a looser pace. "I also just saved you from a potential concussion."

"Huh?" Ruby inquired honestly after she replaced her scroll into her back pocket.

"You nearly collided with a locker while your eyes were glued to your scroll."

"Oh, thanks for saving me! Sorry, I'm expecting a text from my Dad. Call it anxious anticipation!"

"Oh," Weiss said briefly before she recovered. She was all too familiar with this 'little bother' of Ruby's, aware of the level of her 'anxious anticipation' when she noticed Ruby sliding her hand across her scroll again in a near compulsion to keep checking it. "He'll get back to you. Business in Atlas tends to go on all day despite what we know as 'lunch' or the 'end-of-day'. I'm sure he's just preoccupied with his work."

"Yeah, you're right.." Ruby sighed somewhat inconspicuously as they made it to the courtyard, but Weiss heard it. Weiss frowned at Ruby's mildly dispirited reply and knew that her own response to Ruby's waiting would have been more effective if her friend hadn't _been_ waiting for days by this point. Surveying the landscape of the courtyard as they skirted its perimeter, Weiss found the perfect opportunity to take Ruby's mind off of her scroll in the form of a fortuitous seating arrangement.

"Come on let's sit," Weiss coaxed before signaling her and Ruby's impending arrival to the occupants of the table they were steadily approaching. "Jaune, Pyrrah," she waved and once she did, Ruby _stopped_. The poor girl would have stayed motionless if Weiss didn't compel her forward by force.

"Hello Weiss, hello Ruby." Pyrrah greeted the two cheerfully as they sat.

"Hey Jaune, hey Pyrrah," Ruby greeted timidly.

"Glad to have you back Ruby," Jaune smiled as he pushed his bangs aside. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages.

"Well, it has been about a week and a half," Ruby shrugged. "My incarceration wasn't too bad though. I feel loads better than I did."

"Incarceration?" Pyrrah inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Ruby grinned. "I was doing hard time for a crime they couldn't pin on me. Had to let me go due to a lack of evidence."

"Don't listen to her," Weiss inserted, but Pyrrah and Jaune were already laughing.

"I figured I shouldn't," Pyrrah said. "Yang already spoiled your potential ruse."

"Drat.."

"It is good to see you're feeling better. I'd hate to see the varsity soccer team potentially lose out on some great talent this year."

"Who me?" Ruby's inquiry was so earnest that Pyrrah couldn't keep a laugh from slipping her lips. Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Yes you. We lost some good players after graduation last year, but it's nice to know there are strong players who will make fine additions to the team."

"Players?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"Well, there's you and then there's Ms. Polendina as well as a couple of others we've been scouting since the end of last season."

"Scouting?!"

"For goodness sake, Ruby," Weiss sighed, eliciting a blush from the girl and laughs from Pyrrah and Jaune.

"C'mon Ruby," Jaune inserted, his bangs falling back into his eyes briefly before he swiped them away again, "with your skills, you're a shoo-in for the varsity team. Penny too."

"Both of you are very talented," Pyrrah said.

"As I've said on numerous occasions," Weiss added before starting in on her now unpacked lunch.

"Guuys, you're embarrassing me," Ruby whined as she pulled her hood up and lowered her head to hide her face before unpacking her own smaller lunch.

"A sign of humility," Pyrrah nodded as she rose to leave the table. "I hate to leave, but I'm getting checked out shortly. It was nice talking. Tell Yang to fill you in for our training plans, Ruby. Official practice isn't for a while still, but I would love it if you and Penny would join us."

"S-sure thing, Pyrrah," Ruby exclaimed as she shook off her hood and waved an eager farewell to Pyrrah before she left.

"I told you she knows who you are," Weiss stated.

"You did," Ruby grinned, her overall presence generally brighter after sharing part of lunch with Pyrrah. "I didn't know they _scouted_ members of the junior varsity team. It's good I didn't know that beforehand," she finished before starting on her own lunch.

"It only makes sense," Weiss said. "Though I imagine your tryout will still have to match up with what they observed last year."

"For sure! Playing on the varsity team this year seems a hundred times more real now, like I can almost _feel_ what wearing that uniform will be like."

"Like I said Ruby. Shoo-in," Jaune supported.

"Guys," Ruby chuckled nervously as she lifted her hood without obscuring her face this time. Weiss smiled at the nervous habit, but knew Ruby was more confident after her and Pyrrah's interaction. And it seemed as though her mind was now preoccupied with more pleasant things.

"You can do it," Weiss said. "I know you—"

"Ice Demon! A word." Startled from her right by the somewhat abrasive interruption, Weiss turned to see Neptune already seated beside her, his hair loudly assaulting her vision.

"Hey Neptune!" Ruby greeted as she pulled out her scroll.

"What's up Little Yang/Shadow Weiss?" Weiss scowled at him.

"Nothing much. Just shared part of my lunch block with a _rockstar!"_ Ruby placed her scroll on the table after briefly checking for notifications she may have missed.

"But I just got here," Neptune said honestly.

"Not you, Pyrrah! Though, you have to be a rockstar to pull off blue hair like that," Ruby stated.

"You say that, but I'd kill for whatever genes gave you that gradating abstract art piece on top of your head. _But_ let's not forget that I am a rockstar _primarily_ for my divine skills in colorguard."

"Aw, but isn't Weiss the best though!" Ruby launched a successful hug at Weiss that nearly displaced the food on said girl's fork.

"Oh, she's _third_ best, but she's getting there."

"And to _what_ do I owe the pleasure for this accosting, on _several_ fronts, Neptune," Weiss bit. Not only did he interrupt her confidence boost for Ruby, but he was already working every single nerve she had to spare him.

"Well, I—"

"'Sup, goobs," a sudden Yang greeted. "And darling baby sister!" She sat her tray down opposite of Ruby before rounding the table to crush Ruby in a hug.

"My diaphragm," Ruby tried.

"You know, it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking," Neptune said.

"I _know_ you just didn't," Weiss scoffed.

"Neptune you're always talking. No other way to get a word in edgewise," Yang rebutted.

"Like kind," Blake teased suddenly opposite of Neptune causing him to round on her.

"Just the apparition that needs to join _my_ colorguard. But before that, let's refrain from drawing inaccurate parallels between Yang and I."

"And what _would_ be an accurate parallel, Neptune?" Yang wondered as she took her seat smiling.

" _Obviously_ one would be our downright _impeccable_ sense of fashion."

"The man's not wrong," Yang winked.

"No, I'm not," Neptune agreed before turning to Weiss. "But the reason for my initial entrance was to tell you that Absolution's production was announced and audition sign ups are online."

"Tell me more," Weiss invited.

"The title of the production is _Birth in Reverse,_ " Neptune began to impart before he started gushing further details, details that seemed to pique Blake's interest ever so slightly.

"Glad to be back at school, Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, actually!" she confirmed after a quick check of her scroll. "I could honestly go a _while_ without seeing another hospital."

"That bad, huh?" Jaune asked.

"Not really, but really. Any other time a week off from school is a vacation that's more than welcome, but maaann I was bored."

"You were also a geyser of vomit," Yang laughed. "She was _definitely_ there for reasons."

"I get it," Jaune nodded. "I remember when I got my appendix removed, but at least I got ice cream."

"That's when you get your tonsils taken out, Jaune," Ruby informed him, almost reaching for her scroll, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Yang as her brow furrowed.

"I've had those taken out too. Maybe I'm confusing the two?" He pondered.

"Oh! Yang guess who I talked to today? Hint: they told me to tell you to fill me in on training stuff," Ruby quizzed.

"Pyrrah? No way! Were you as red as your hoodie the entire time?" Yang released the slight furrow in her brow from before and smiled at Ruby's news.

"No! I was as cool as ice cream," Ruby grinned proudly.

"She said at most eight words," Jaune teased causing Yang to laugh.

"I said at most _twelve_ words," Ruby defended, "and I am _proud_ of those words."

"Congrats Ruby! Also nice to see you didn't spontaneously com _blusht_." Yang laughed entirely to hard at her own joke over Ruby's groan. "Expecting a text," Yang eased with knowing when she saw Ruby check her phone again. "Let me guess, getting steamy texts from your mistress?" Yang said the last part just loud enough she knew the particular phrase would cut through into Weiss and Neptune's conversation. She knew she was successful when Weiss spared a brief moment to scowl at her before rolling her eyes and continuing her conversation.

"N-not even!" Ruby stuttered, a blush starting on her cheeks before she hastily put her scroll down on the table, oblivious to the daggers Weiss just had on her sister. "Just expecting a text from Dad," she finished with a half smile that caused Yang to clench her jaw behind her smile. Ruby was too sweet a kid to deserve a Dad who half-ass communicated with her.

"Text him again," Yang tried. "You never know, he might just need a reminder that he forgot to reply. What better way than a new message!"

"I already did," Ruby informed her sister with a smile half as big as her last one. "Last week I sent him a few, and I sent another one yesterday afternoon." Yang was sure if the man showed up right now in Beacon's courtyard, she'd punch him square in the jaw. She couldn't believe him.

"It's okay, Ruby. Maybe we can try calling him today or tomorrow if you want," Yang offered knowing it would be easier for Ruby to press that button if she was there. "And if he doesn't answer, we could leave him one _heck_ of a voi—" Every goings-on at their lunch table, maybe even that entire corner of the courtyard, was disrupted by the clatter from the two footballs that came crashing down to dismante everyone's lunch. Everyone had gotten some food or drink on them, but the one's who got the worst of it were Jaune, Weiss, Neptune, and.. Ruby's scroll.

"No!" Ruby exclaimed as she hastily lifted her scroll from the pool of milk it had been wading in and made futile attempts to dry it and power it on. Yang was at a new level of fury after seeing Ruby's dejected scramble to save her scroll. She knew what was behind her sister's frantic attempts to salvage her scroll, attempts that she saw didn't go unnoticed by Weiss, the only other individual at the table who knew why Ruby was so attached to a device the girl otherwise could care less about if it got damaged. Yang turned and hunted their surroundings for the culprits and found she didn't need to search very hard. Two tables over Cardin Winchester and Mercury Black were guffawing amongst a small congregation of football players. She was poised to go and confront the two, but a different yet equally as fierce person beat her to the punch.

 _"Cardin Winchester!"_ The bellow that erupted from Weiss' throat as she slammed her hands on the table and stood stilled every person in the courtyard, mostly because surely no one knew such a call could come from a person so petite. Weiss Schnee was _angry,_ angry that she was now wet from the displacement of various fluids and foodstuffs and _angry_ at the distress they caused Ruby. She marched toward the congregation. She was a fearless tempest and hell bent tearing them apart with her words. They would get no reprieve from her and she would _bastardize_ the eggshell rule silently in her favor.

"Seems I've upset the pigmentally challenged," he smirked from his seat atop the lunch table.

"Keep thinking this is all fun and games if you want, you whelp. You seem unaware of the fact that _you_ and your amoeba are degenerates that everyone has the misfortune of being in the same genus as. And as much as I'm sure your father likes _beating_ you to mold, your mother could have stood to swallow at least once in her fucking life." Boy, was Cardin red with rage.

"Look wench," he started as he rose from the table and took the paces to tower over her, but Weiss didn't flinch in the _least._

" _Sir!"_ Neptune called before Cardin could finish. He was already positioning himself at Weiss' flank and slightly in front of her before Cardin could finish. "I don't know who raised you, but men of class don't tower menacingly over women."

"Fuck off, flaggot, before I make you."

" _Woah!"_ Any suddenly there was Sun. Having witnessed the last forty five seconds of the altercation, he was now at Neptune's flank. His presence prompted Mercury and another player to stand and assume positions on either side of Cardin. "Don't be fucking rude."

"Yeah, _Jocko._ Don't go appropriating insults because you're inept at this.. _thing_ you do," Neptune said, gesturing theatrically at Cardin as he did so.

"Oh, boyfriend to the rescue," Mercury inserted into the escalation.

"I'm straight, you idiot," Sun rebutted. "Remember? I stole your girlfriend in tenth grade." Mercury was now red with rage.

"Says you extracurriculars," Cardin sneered.

"Dude, colorguard has a military background. I dare you to say that to someone in Honor Guard." Sun was _heated_ already.

"Who like your d—"

"Cardin, do all of creation a favor and _stop talking,"_ Weiss interrupted, ready for round two."You look and _are_ stupid. No need to sound the part too."

" _Look,_ Schnee," Cardin started as he descended on Weiss. "I have half a mind to shut _your_ mouth."

"See, I warned you," Neptune said as he inserted himself between Cardin and Weiss and placed his hands on Cardin's chest to gently push him back. Cardin shoved his hands away, infuriated.

"Touch me again and I'll knock your block off," Cardin spat.

"Do not misinterpret your situation Cardin," Neptune informed him. "You've got at most ten pounds on me and I'd _hate_ to mortify you in front of, well, everyone."

"Is that a fact!" Cardin started advancing again before Mercury grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Teacher," he imparted causing Cardin to search and find a basketball coach/history teacher standing arms crossed with an eyebrow raised in observation at the edge of the courtyard. "Sorry sir!" Mercury yelled and waved at the man. "Just de-escalating a wayward ball incident. As a wide receiver, I'm not one for throwing them."

"De-escalating?" The teacher called his inquiry.

"Yes sir!" Mercury offered before the heated cluster began to disperse.

"Good," the teacher called back. "Make sure it stays de-escalated," he said before going on his way once there was enough distance between the two groups.

"How _yellow,"_ Weiss called back loud enough for Cardin to hear, but soft enough to keep the teacher going on about the rest of his day. Cardin glared daggers back at her, but they only served in Weiss' satisfaction.

"That could have been bad," Blake said once the three joined the others back at the table.

"Yeah it could have," Jaune agreed.

"For them," Weiss retorted.

"I thought he was gonna hit you Weiss!" Ruby launched another successful hug at Weiss that was returned with one arm as much as Weiss' seething would allow.

"Same," Yang said in near disbelief at Cardin's action and Weiss' steadfastness. "I was ready to _brawl_ if it went down though." She punctuated her resolve by punching her hand and then using it to crack her knuckles.

"That's the _last_ thing that needed to happen," Blake said in an attempt to dismiss the notion.

"That Neanderthal was about to _bounce_ a check," Neptune waved off.

"And he would have made the mistake of doing so thanks to our little instigator here," Yang poked at Weiss.

" _I_ didn't instigate anything, _mind_ you." Weiss was still seething.

"What if he hit you Weiss!?" Ruby was still latched onto her arm.

"Then I want my loved ones to know I talked shit until the very end."

" _That's_ my fucking Ice Demon," Neptune teased (approved).

"Cardin will get his one day." That was the only thing Sun said before he stood from the table and made for the east building.

"I'm going to check on him," Neptune imparted before he started after his dorm mate.

"Is Sun okay?" Blake asked as she watched the normally cheerful boy leave the courtyard.

"About as fine as anyone Cardin runs his mouth to," Weiss said. She was seething less now, but she wasn't seething incarnate by this point. More aware now of the continued grip on her arm, she turned to Ruby. "Any luck with your scroll?"

"No," Ruby lamented with a particular frown that Weiss _hated_ seeing on her. And from Yang's own frown, Weiss knew she wasn't a fan of it as well. "It's donezoes.."

"I'm sorry Ruby," Weiss comforted. "I know you were expecting a reply from your father."

"It's okay. I can see if Mom or Raven will take me to get a new on after school."

"I still have my scroll Ruby," Yang offered with a fresh smile for her sister, "and my offer still stands if you still want to call Dad." Ruby pondered Yang's offer for a moment before a replenished joy began to radiate from her again.

"I think I will take you up on that, Yang!" Ruby beamed before she attempted to check her phone again, groaning after her attempt was futile. "Ugh, I can't even check the time."

"It's more or less time to go," Weiss smiled at her, her seething now displaced by her proximity to Ruby's characteristic joy. "Come on," she said as she stood, "I'll walk you to your locker and you can give me a rundown of the classwork you have due at the end of the week."

" _Weiss,"_ Ruby heaved as she rose to follow her out.

"I said I'd _help_ you, remember?" Ignoring Ruby's huff she turned around to bid farewell to Blake and Yang. "See you later, and thanks Yang," she finished with a smile before she 'led' Ruby by the hand towards the north building.

"What did she thank you for?" Blake inquired as she and Yang stood to make their way to class.

"For helping Ruby feel better about our dead-beat dad."

But that was a conversation for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy and please look forward to more, Ivel.

**Author's Note:**

> This is cross-posted from FF.net. I will upload there first, edit, and then upload the more finalized version here. Please look forward to it, Ivel.


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